Part three, you gasp? Good heavens, how many parts are there for setting up a simple daily quiet time?!?! Well, for some unicorn children it is one step. But, to be honest, those parents really don’t even need Quiet Time. For the rest of us, it is a bit of a science – but when done correctly, is worth each and every one of the steps. I promise!
So here we go onto Step Three – our final step – of our Quiet Time journeys. You will be all set and completely ready to join The Quiet Time Club when it launches right here on How Wee Learn on January 9th! You are going to LOVE IT. Life changing, it really, really is.
Voila! It has officially launched! Join me in The Club right here >>> https://www.howweelearn.com/quiettimeclub/
As you might now, this brand new Quiet Time Club includes:
Daily Quiet Time Activities emailed to you in a monthly calendar format. Each day you will know exactly what quiet time activity to give your little one. No stress, no searching, and next to no prep at all.
Only 5 materials each month! Each month we select 5 new crafting materials (such as popsicle sticks, stickers, and a deck of cards) and use ONLY those 5 materials for that entire month of Quiet Time! This keeps thing nice and simple for you
The 6 Golden Rules. As you know, quiet time is a science and there are some golden rules you are going to need to know to keep that blissful time running smoothly each and every day. I have got you covered!
But just before we get you in The Club, we need to finish walking through these 3 Steps for making quiet time happen.
Let’s quickly recap. Step One got our little ones independently taking a 5 minute, successful and independent, quiet time happily.
Step Two extended that to 10 minutes while focusing on clear expectations, a visual timer, and special activities.
And now Step Three is going to extend this to 20 minutes and also help with some of the typical issues that might be appearing as Quiet Time starts to roll.
By the end of Step Two, your child is comfortably and independently taking a 10 minute Quiet Time every day. It is time to double that to 20 minutes! As we do this, it is important that we congratulate our little ones and let them know that they are doing such a wonderful job we are able to move ahead with our Quiet Time goals. We are one step closer to Quiet Time Success!
We will tell our little one that they now get to play independently with their very special Quiet Time Activities for 20 minutes (of course, this is only important if your children are of an age where this conversation would make sense).
Simply set the visual timer for 20 minutes, keep the expectations clear and strong, and keep those activities fresh and engaging (thank you Quiet Time Club) and you are bound for success!
A few things that tend to happen at this stage are:
- Children calling out to show you things
- Children calling out because they need help
- Children calling out with questions
- Children. Calling. Out.
But do not despair! This is a normal step in transitioning to independent play. Our children are so used to us being there for every moment that they are not quite comfortable tackling things on their own.
A wonderful way to help with children calling out is to spend some time connecting both before and after quiet time.
Before quiet time begins, spend a few moments filling up your child’s ‘bucket’ and make sure your child feels connected to you. Once in awhile, children feel that Quiet Time is our way of escaping time with them. It is important that we let our little ones know we love spending time with them and we are so excited to see what they have been up to once quiet time is over. We can share that this is our time to get “grown up” things done so we can play once more after quiet time.
This connecting time is also the perfect opportunity to brainstorm some problem solving with your child. If your child wants to show you something during quiet time, what might she do? Perhaps set it aside so you can see once quiet time is done. If your child needs help, what can she do? Perhaps try it on her own, or problem solve herself. Encourage her to get creative and remind her there is no right or wrong way to do the activities.
This simple trick of connecting before and after quiet time really is a magic trick.
And once your child is having a daily quiet time for 20 minutes independently, without calling out, Step Three is complete!
All you need to know is continue to add in 10 minutes increments until you have the length of Quiet Time that is best for your individual family. Perhaps this is 20 minutes, 30 minutes, or an hour. Entirely up to you and will depend on your needs as well as the needs and ages of your child.
And just like that you are ready for THE QUIET TIME CLUB!
Can’t wait for you to join me, sweet friend.
xo
Sarah
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