Today I have decided to make a very bold call. I have decided to crown myself the Quiet Time Queen.
While I am far from a perfect Mama, I do believe we all have our strengths. And my strength? It is unquestionably the ability to get little ones to take, love, and benefit immensely from Quiet Time.
You may have heard me chat about my book all about this subject: A Year of Educational Quiet Bins: The secret to peaceful days at home. With book number 5000 (!!) having just sold, I made a realisation:
Mamas need Quiet Time just as much as our little peanuts do.
The need for Quiet Time is in fact so very important, I decided I wanted to share with you this 3 part series all about the why, how, and what of Quiet Time:
- Today I am going to share with you all of the incredible benefits children gain from Quiet Time.
- Tomorrow I will share HOW to establish and get children to love Quiet Time (available now!).
- And Wednesday I will be sharing WHAT activities are best (and which to avoid) during Quiet Time (available now!).
And yes. I am also always going to capitalise Quiet Time. If you are a Mama home with babies, toddlers, or preschoolers, you get it. Quiet Time deserves capitals.
Now I know all of my lovely, exhausted, and depleted Mamas of littles out there are thinking:
“Benefits? Ha! You had me at QUIET …” But believe me. You are going to love quiet time so much more when you find out all of the amazing benefits it has on our little ones.
Once I got started writing this post I realised that there are in fact 7 HUGE benefits to Quiet Time. Just when I thought I couldn’t possibly love it anymore …
Here are the amazing benefits Quiet Time has to offer:
- Increases focus and attention. Quiet time gives children uninterrupted time all on their own which provides the ideal environment for children to focus and build their attention span.
- Resets little minds, allowing a time for quiet and avoiding periods of overwhelm. These little people of ours are go, go, go all day long! With this boundless excitement and energy, little ones often cannot tell when their bodies and minds are tuckered out and need a rest. By planning structured Quiet Time into a day we avoid so many issues like meltdowns and overwhelm.
- Mindfulness. Quiet Time allows children the chance to sit in quiet with their own thoughts and feelings. This is an amazingly important skill to develop, as the ability to quiet your mind has been shown to help regulate emotions and self-control.
- Builds confidence. “Mom – I need you!”, “Help Mama”, “I can’t do it!” Oh the times in a day we hear those calls. Quiet Time allows children to learn that they can do things all on their own. If they get stuck, they can keep trying or take a break – they learn that they are capable of handling challenges. How important is that life skill?!
- Builds independence. As little ones learn they are capable of tackling challenges, they become more independent and more willing to take chances and give things a try.
- Increases creativity. Having uninterrupted time allows our minds to get into their full creative swing. The stories and tales, the imaginative buildings and pictures that come from Quiet Time – when they have no one to impress but themselves – is amazing.
- Allows a rest for Mama. This one really ought to be number 1. A quiet time gives you all of the same benefits as your little one. The result? Calm, rested, cared for Mamas. Which means happier Mamas. You need quiet time just as much as your little one – so their quiet time gives you a break too.
Amazing, right? Quiet Time really is the magic that has changed my days to such an extent that I feel I am a completely different parent. The magic of Quiet Time has been completely life changing for me and my busy little boys too.
If you are all set and ready to jump on the Quiet Time train you can get started right away with my eBook: A Year of Educational Quiet Bins. This book outlines absolutely everything you need to know, as well as providing you with an entire year of Quiet Time activities.
Please be sure to come back tomorrow as I answer the question I get ALL THE TIME:
“Quiet Time sounds amazing! But there is no WAY my kids will have a Quiet Time. How do I start establishing a Quiet Time in our home?”
I have all the tips, tricks, and step-by-step how to heading your way tomorrow (available now, just click the link!).
Thank you so much for reading friends – I hope your week is off to an amazing start!
Your friendly self-proclaimed Quiet Time Queen, Sarah xx
What age do you suggest starting this? Sorry if I missed it!
Hi Cee – great question, though I’m afraid I don’t have a great answer. It really depends on you and your little one. In our household we started when my little ones were right around 2, though I have friends who have waited until their little ones gave up naps. Completely up to you and yours.
Is there a rule of thumb about how long quiet time should be based on age?
Hi Cynthia, thanks for your question. I suppose I would guide it more based on experience than age. Since I start quiet time with my little ones when they are very small (2) by the time they are 4 they are contently have quiet time for at least an hour. If I was just starting implementing quiet time with my 4 year old, I would not expect it to be this long. Little ones need to build up to it. Now my kids love it so much that they often extend their own quiet times. They recognise the benefits and truly enjoy it!
Do you recommend splitting my kids up during quiet time to be by themselves or can they play together?
Hi Kara, this is a great question. I suppose it depends on your little ones. My kids spend a lot of time together, so they play together a lot — some of this play is quiet, but we don’t consider it quiet time. For us, quiet time always means on our own. We might be in the same room, but we are all engaged in our own activity independently. There is so much to be gained from this completely independent on your own time. I hope this helps!
I really liked what you said about how amazing it is to help small children have quiet time and calm their own thoughts and feelings. My children are pretty rambunctious and my husband and I are introverted people, so we’re hoping to teach our children more about quiet time and help them develop that skill. Thank you for the information about how this will help regulate their emotions and self-control to better prepare them for life ahead.
I am so happy you found it helpful Sherry!