Taking a Privilege Away Because of Nap Behavior?

[newtodaycare22]

I have 2-5 year olds. Most sleep at least part of the time at nap. My 2 and 3 year old have been giving me a hard time lately, fighting their naps. Their eyes are slits and so clearly exhausted but they go to extremes to stay away (hitting their heads, kicking their legs in the air, etc).

Have you ever taken away a privilege because of nap behavior? This is not the case of children who are not tired-they are acting up and depriving themselves of sleep. If they 'closed their eyes' like I tell them, they would be out for the count in a few minutes. I'm considering taking away some of their park time if they can't let their bodies rest. I'd explain it to them as they can't play as hard as the other kids at the park if they will not listen and rest their bodies. **I use this example because I think it'd be most effective. They LOVE park time and we go just about every day.**

I figure they aren't babies and they are doing this on purpose-so they need consequences. When they fight these naps, I have miserable afternoons with cranky kids. Any thoughts? Thanks!

[My3cents]

Do park time before naps.....fresh air has a way of making for good tired sleep. Let them run like crazy in the mornings.

play soft music-or fan

[familyschoolcare]

You said the children are "hitting their heads, kicking their legs"


I think you should make the discipline about the "negative" behavior and not about resting. Take something away and tell them that they can not have

the privilge because they where hurting themselves and/or the nap mat at nap time. If you make it about resting or not in this case you will most likely

cause the child to "fight" back harder or in a different way.

[BigMama]

What is your nap set-up? Are they all in the same room? I find that some children find it hard to settle down when they can see their little smiling friends faces just a few feet away. All of my children sleep in the same room so I position their cots as best as I can so that they can't see each other. I also use one of those cardboard tri-fold boards in front of one cot as a barrier because two cots are somewhat close together due to space constraints. I would also try what the other poster said about music or a fan-that helps them relax too. As to your question about disciplining for naptime behavior, I personally don't do it. If they don't fall asleep within a half hour, they get a nap box.

[daycare]

when mine were doing this, I would go and sit next to them and rub their backs until they feel asleep..... OUT in less than 5 min and worth every second of my time..

Nothing worse than a 2-3 year old without a nap. The rest of the day is just pure chaos...

[newtodaycare22]

Thanks for all of the advice. The back rubbing and rearrangement are both things that I have done in the past, but I think they both needed to be revisited to revamp nap time/my sanity. :: We had a long talk before nap about the ways to rest our body and how to lay still and close our eyes. I even explained to them that if they do this and do not fall asleep, it's fine! Thanks for the suggestion on focusing on the inappropriate behaviors rather than the rest because, of course, once those stopped today-we are good. 4 of the 5 are sleeping. A combo of rubbing/barriers between certain kids/the big talk worked. At least for today....let's hope it happens tomorrow too happyface. Thanks guys!