Kindergarten Rest Time

[all41]

Is this still a thing in kindergarten? If so do you have a rest time everyday all year or only for the 1st quarter or semester? How long each day? How do you manage this in a K/1 combo room?

I am leaning toward not having a scheduled rest time with the understanding that some of my students may need some time to adjust to a long day at school. What are your thoughts?

 

[Munchkins]

K naps

I taught full day kindergarten 3 years ago, and they never had a nap time. They were tired the first few weeks, but so are most kids (and teachers.)

We had 2 recesses and centers at the end of the day. We got the academics in while they were fresh.

 

[all41]

Thanks Munchkins, I have the same thinking. The kids will adjust after the first week or two just like everyone else.

 

[Haley23]

It's not a thing at my school; I'm almost positive it wouldn't be allowed even if the teacher wanted to. That said, some teachers do have a cool down/meditation time when students return from recess for 5-10 minutes.

 

[Sbkangas5]

We have quiet time after lunch every day. Some years I stop it after winter break, but sometimes (like this year) they need it every day. Nobody naps, but we do something chill. This year we have one day that we watch a 15-20 minute show (Reading Buddies, which is fantastic), one day they color to quiet music, one day they do Dreambox, and one day they either read or draw. We don't do it on Fridays because they play all afternoon, but we do have a story time or mindfulness before playing. At the beginning of the year they need it because they are really tired. This year they need it because they can't come down after lunch without a prolonged quiet time.

 

[suzyteach]

I also have a quiet "recharge" time after lunch recess. Lights off, sitting quietly to music. It is a great time to get kids to the bathroom without missing academics, and lets them cool down after the excitement and sometimes drama of recess. I have a weird chunk of time between the end of recess and specials, so it works perfectly.

 

[NoKetchup]

I have taught Kindergarten for 15 years and have always struggled with them coming in after lunch/recess with so much energy. I do a short 5-10 Quiet Brain Time. I google Mindfulness for Kids or Breathing exercises for kids. This helps SOOO much.

 

[LaFish]

Rest time

My former school had rest time and still has it. Kids could bring in a small blanket and small stuffed animal. 45 minutes for the first semester and 30 minutes for the second semester. We found that the kids that really needed rest time slept a full 45-60. Others that did not need rest time used that time to listen to music, recharge, and daydream.