Last Updated on April 18, 2024

Photo by Daiga Ellaby on Unsplash

Long afternoon naps are what dreams are made of, at least they are for me.

Long afternoon naps mean that we can finally get things done around the house, or we can finally take some time out for a little self-care.

But sadly there comes a time for whatever reason that afternoon naps no longer happen, so instead we need to find another way to get our toddlers to take a little bit of time out, so both them and us can recharge.

This is where toddler quiet time comes into effect. If you’re interested in knowing more about toddler quiet time and what toddler quiet time activities you can try at home, then I hope this post provides some great ideas for you to try.

WHAT IS TODDLER QUIET TIME?

Toddler quiet time is a period of time during the day where your toddler plays quietly independently, either in the same room as you, or in their own room.

This allows you to have your own quiet time, doing whatever it is you wish to do, uninterrupted.

BENEFITS OF TODDLER QUIET TIME

There are many benefits of toddler quiet time, which include:

Allows your toddler to develop their creative skills

Toddler quiet time allows your toddler to come up with creative ways to occupy themselves, which helps them also develop their problem solving and attention building skills.

Helps your toddler become more autonomous

Toddler quiet time teaches your toddler that sometimes they need to be responsible for their own entertainment, and that they can’t rely on you to entertain them, or take them somewhere all the time.

Learning how to entertain themselves, overcome boredom, decide how to spend their quiet time, and play by themselves will be a fantastic skill they can draw on later on in life.

Allows your toddler time to recharge

Toddlers are on the go all the time. My toddler wakes up ready to party, it’s non-stop energy.

With their non-stop energy, comes a crashing point, which is usually right before bedtime, making them irritable and hard to put to sleep.

Having toddler quiet time during the day allows toddlers to calm down, recharge and relax, so they are not overly tired come bedtime.

Builds your toddler’s confidence skills

Toddler quiet time allows your toddler to build their confidence skills because they have to do things on their own.

Instead of asking you to open their pencil case, help with arts and crafts, or whatever help they ask you for, they have to learn how to do things on their own, which once they do they will gain the confidence to keep on trying things for the first time on their own.

Provides you with much needed quiet time

This may just be the most exciting thing about toddler quiet time, it allows you to have some time to yourself, which lets face it, after a day of toddler fun, you need it!

TODDLER QUIET TIME ACTIVITIES

The best way to start toddler quiet time in your house is to start with small periods of time, such as 15 to 20 minutes a day, and then work your way up to 30 minutes and then 60 minutes.

When you first start toddler quiet time, praise your toddler once their toddler quiet time is finished, this will hopefully encourage them to continue to increase the amount of toddler quiet time that they do.

Some toddler quiet time activities that you can try at home include:

• Having a few different boxes with toys in them, and pulling out one box a week. This means your toddler gets to play with different toys each week, so they don’t get bored
• Letting them flick through books
• Play audio books
• Put some music on they can listen to whilst they play
• Arts and crafts
• Play-doh
• Moulding clay
• Sticker books
• Lego, Duplo, wooden blocks, magnet tiles
• Colouring books
• Puzzles
• Threading blocks, buttons, or cheerios on string
• Outdoor chalk
• Tea party
• Making a bus out of a cardboard box

Related post:
Children’s products you can use for toddler quiet time.

TODDLER QUIET TIME WHEN ON HOLIDAYS

Some toddlers thrive on toddler quiet time, and become overly emotional by the end of the day if they don’t have it.

Conversely some toddlers are quite happy if they miss a day or two of toddler quiet time, and don’t act any differently at night if they don’t have it.

If your toddler is in the first group, you may still need to do some type of toddler quiet time when you’re on holidays.

If this is the case, try to take a break some time throughout the day where you sit down for a period of time, or if possible take some time out in your hotel to do your toddler quiet time.

Do you have toddler quiet time in your house?