Nap time help

[Play Care]

I have two 3 yo's and one 4 yo in the main nap area. At the beginning of the summer there was some napping nonsense and I started sitting in with them for a few minutes until they settled down/ fell asleep. It used to be that my presence was enough for them to settle down, but now we are back to shenanigans. Today I preset them as to what was expected "go in quietly, right to your mats and lay down" I got them to walk up to the nap room quietly but as soon as we got up, the 3 yo girl tries to slam the door in our faces - it's set so she can't but still, the intent was there. Then she runs in the nap room screaming/laughing. 4 yo boy follows suit and the other 3 yo boy would have but I happened to catch him and get him on his mat. No sooner do I get everyone on their mat then it's a few minutes of laughing, screeching, banging around, loud sighing/ yawning etc.

Once they do settle down they all sleep for about two hours. We are outside most of the AM and I run them hard because they need it! We've had the same routine for over a year, lunch, bathroom, nap time. Because of their ages I don't want to push naps time later as I don't want it to interfere with afternoon routines/ night sleeping. But really, the few times it did get pushed later for one reason or another, it didn't help and their naps were worse!
I am right there, supervising, pre-setting, reminding, scolding and frankly I'm tired of feeling like Charlie Browns teacher "Wah Wah Wa Wah Wah"

[coolconfidentme]

I tend to be a heavy at nap time. If someone acts up, they are out of the room & in the hallway. It's my only break of the day & I lay down the law to keep it, . I also use a blower from the old bouncy room as a white noise machine. It's loud, but seems to help. Good luck!!

[butterfly]

:hug: I'm so sorry! I've been there. I finally started a movie during naptime (or start of naptime rather). I told the kids if they laid down quietly and stayed on their cots, they could watch a few minutes of an educational movie. If they goof off the TV goes off. It also goes off by 1pm reguardless.

I don't like TV, but I really needed my break and this really worked for us. This is our only TV time.

[Josiegirl]

For a long time I could count on at least 1 whole hour of peace and quiet so I could rest, catch up with paperwork, clean from lunch, etc. Then all my dcks became 3-5 and it all went to heck. They'd laugh, jump up and down, talk loud, run back and forth to the bathroom, disrupting and instigating the rest of them. It was horribly stressful and actually worse than trying to keep nap time quiet. I've always offered them books or puzzles but I told them they could watch a short video, IF they could be quiet and read books for half an hour. That worked for oh maybe a month. Then they got bored with that and became loud, etc., once again.
I have no advice because sadly nothing worked for me. Except that those 3-5 yo's are all now in Kindy and I'm back to a younger group now. And right now, for the past 45 minutes it has been pure bliss.
I wish you tons of good luck and hope you can find something that works.

[Play Care]

For a long time I could count on at least 1 whole hour of peace and quiet so I could rest, catch up with paperwork, clean from lunch, etc. Then all my dcks became 3-5 and it all went to heck. They'd laugh, jump up and down, talk loud, run back and forth to the bathroom, disrupting and instigating the rest of them. It was horribly stressful and actually worse than trying to keep nap time quiet. I've always offered them books or puzzles but I told them they could watch a short video, IF they could be quiet and read books for half an hour. That worked for oh maybe a month. Then they got bored with that and became loud, etc., once again.
I have no advice because sadly nothing worked for me. Except that those 3-5 yo's are all now in Kindy and I'm back to a younger group now. And right now, for the past 45 minutes it has been pure bliss.
I wish you tons of good luck and hope you can find something that works.

I am grateful that they DO nap. It's just getting them down. I refuse to use television because I find it encourages poor behavior, and my nap area is upstairs and has no television anyway (on purpose!) If worse comes to worst I will separate them.

[Blackcat31]

I am grateful that they DO nap. It's just getting them down. I refuse to use television because I find it encourages poor behavior, and my nap area is upstairs and has no television anyway (on purpose!) If worse comes to worst I will separate them.

Have you tried "rewarding" those that DO nap and/or go down for nap well?

I am using the word reward, lightly as that isn't exactly what I mean, but I can't think of a better word right now....

I have a sticker chart and those kids that give me no grief about laying down for nap get a sticker AFTER nap time.

Those kids with a sticker get to choose from a "special" group of choices afterwards....

Incentives work great for this kind of situation. I don't like punishing or rewarding so to speak for resting (or going down for rest time) because it isn't a choice but I DO like to give "special" choices for those that willingly comply.

HTH (and makes sense )

[Play Care]

Have you tried "rewarding" those that DO nap and/or go down for nap well?

I am using the word reward, lightly as that isn't exactly what I mean, but I can't think of a better word right now....

I have a sticker chart and those kids that give me no grief about laying down for nap get a sticker AFTER nap time.

Those kids with a sticker get to choose from a "special" group of choices afterwards....

Incentives work great for this kind of situation. I don't like punishing or rewarding so to speak for resting (or going down for rest time) because it isn't a choice but I DO like to give "special" choices for those that willingly comply.

HTH (and makes sense )

I'm kind of struggling with this thought - in desperation last week I promised a "treat" for those who would lay right down quietly. No one earned it, but no one brought it up after nap, either. So I don't even know, as old as they are, they get the connection of a reward two hours after the fact.
And then I start to not like myself for "bribing" kids to do what they should be doing anyway. I also am feeling like it's not so much about nap, but the disrespect for me - because they are being deliberately disobedient.