Kindergarten Naptime

by Lyn Newton | More from this Blogger

26 Feb 2007 05:08 PM

Although I cannot remember much from my kindergarten year, I can recall several events from first and second grades. I vividly recall rest time. In both first and second grade, we had a specified time of day that we put our heads down on the desks to rest. Now, many kindergarten students do not have a naptime. My school is the only school in our county that participates in no form of naptime. The other kindergarten classes either have naptime everyday or periodically (when time permits or the teacher feels it is needed). Naps are things of education's past.

Some researchers will argue that five-year-old children still need a nap at school. Children of this age need ten to twelve hours of sleep. In today's busy world, most children do not receive this sleep at home. Families are too busy running here and there and children often get into bed too late. In most cases, children would have to be asleep by 8:00 P.M. to get ten hours of sleep and still be up in time to catch the bus to school.

Other researchers suggest that while it is true children need more sleep; the sleep should be the responsibility of the parents and not the school. Kindergarten students took naps in the past because we thought that they should. Perhaps we were underestimating the abilities of young children. Most children stop napping on their own before the age of five.

I have not had any of my parents seem concerned about their kindergarten students not taking a nap. While I do feel that a few of my students would fall asleep, I think that naptime would be a great discipline problem for me. Many teachers spend most of the time correcting students for noises or movement. The kindergarten teachers at my school do allow children to rest, especially at the beginning of the year, if they fall asleep during class.

My schedule does not allow time for napping, and children do not seem to miss it. Our standards have forced kindergarten students out of a lot of playtime and social time. These I feel the students truly would enjoy having back in the main curriculum. Naps, however, are not something that I mind skipping to allow time for more instruction.

More Kindergarten Articles School- Imposed Nap Time For Kindergarteners The Road to the Right Kindergarten Kindergarten readiness...???

Learn more about Lyn Newton

Lyn is a kindergarten teacher and mommy to a girl and a boy. In her spare time, she enjoys informative and creative writing.

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Lisa P (24013) 27 Feb 2007 07:50 AM

I really think that things like the appropriate amount of sleep and breakfast should be the responsibility of a parent. Teachers have so much on their plates in this day and age that parents really have no business loading things like sleep and malnutrition on them as well. After all, if parents can't handle simple things like that, then what did they become parents for?

Mary Ann Romans (26881) 27 Feb 2007 05:46 PM

My son's school is full day Kindergarten with no naptime. What disturbs me more, however, is that lunch and recess is lumped into one 30 minute period in which the children are not allowed to talk. They get no break in the entire day to rest or let off a little steam. None of the other parents I have talked to seem concerned.

Lyn Newton (3966) 28 Feb 2007 04:25 AM

Kindergarten children can rarely go 30 minutes without talking. All of my activities are broken up with movement or songs between. We have 2 1/2 hours of lessons (divided into various activities), then lunch, then 1 1/2 hours of learning, then snack/break, then an activity period such as library. Our day is really broken up well. Our school has a schoolwide break at 10:15 each day. Every child needs a break. I don't know how your school considers having lunch and recess at one time. I've never heard that one before.

Valorie Delp (49340) 28 Feb 2007 06:22 PM

One of our kindergarten teachers used to do R&R time. R&R time was 20 minutes of quiet time in which students could quietly read/look at a book, bring a quiet puzzle to their seat and/or put their head down for a nap. My own daughter still needed a nap at age 5. . .she slept almost 12 hours at night and STILL needed a nap. Of course she didn't go to kindergarten so it wasn't an issue. But some kids just have the need!

Lyn Newton (3966) 01 Mar 2007 03:21 PM

I agree, we have a little boy at school that is small and young. His birthday barely met the cut-off date. Many days after lunch he naps on a bean bag. There's nothing wrong with a nap but I'm not for punishing and fussing with children about not taking one. The rule with my own daughter (3 1/2) is that she doesn't have to take a nap but she can't be fussy in the afternoon. Everyday, we sit for quiet time to read books or tell stories. Her younger brother always falls asleep. Sometimes she does and sometimes she doesn't. I swear she can go with sooo little sleep!! Valorie, you are fortunate to have a sleeper!!