I need advice!!
The past couple weeks I've been having my kids go to their rooms for "quiet time." This means that for a half hour they go up in their room, close the door, and play with toys quietly in their rooms.
Here is the problem: Chase spends almost the whole half hour either crying or coming out of her room to use the bathroom. Ryder is a perfect angel. He could probably spend a full hour in his room playing by himself.
So, my question is: what should Chase be doing? I've given her special toys, different toys each time, etc. But, I don't think she knows how to play by herself! How can you even teach this? Your suggestions are appreciated!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Quiet Time Dilemma
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4 comments:
I remember when mom used to make us lay down on our beds for quiet time. We didn't have to take a nap, just lay there or do something quiet in the room. One day I got off the bed and colored all over a toy horse that you could ride. I'm sure mom probably wanted to kick my butt. This of coarse is not advice...
Maybe you could buy a stack of wooden puzzles and tell her she can't come out until all the puzzles are put together. That is a hard one....I guess you could just wear some head phones to block out the 1/2 hour worth of crying. :)
Jackson was this same way. For some reason he has always had a hard time playing by himself. So what i did was find toys he hadn't played with that day, spread a blanket on the floor and then i played with him for 10 minutes to get some fun story lines or ideas going through his head and then i would set one of these kitchen timers in his room that would count down. So he knew there was an end coming to quiet time, that it wouldn't last forever. Then leave the room, usually he was engaged enough in the toys by the time i had to leave he was fine. Also, sometimes i would play a cd of some of the primary songs on low while he was playing. I think it helped calm him and break the silence. Just some ideas that worked for me. I know every kid is different though. Hope you find something that helps!
Fenix does the same thing, lol! Sometimes I'll let her go to quiet time with Lyon... Sometimes I just let her cry (as long as I have taken her to the bathroom first and cut off the sippy cup for a little while before) Most of the time when she spends any time crying she ends up falling asleep...
I like the idea of playing with her for ten minutes to get her engaged in her toys...
I also like the idea of puzzles... not necessarily finishing them, but as a toy it's an easy one to play by yourself... Fenix loves them, I am planning to get her a bunch of wooden puzzles for Christmas.
Another thing I like to do is read to Lyon and Fenix right before quiet time. Usually only for a few minutes, but they get their fill of my attention, and things are calmed down. It makes putting them in their rooms a little easier :D
Good Luck! Quiet time is the best :D
Have her go potty before you put her in quiet time. Put some music on, give her a snack (Dry, like pretzels or crackers) and do the kitchen timer. Start with 5 minutes and work you way up every few days. Give both of your kids a sweet reward (no pun intended, but fruit snacks or something) if they stay in their room until quiet time is over. If Chase doesn't stay in her room make sure that she sees Ryder being rewarded with fruit snacks.
Thats what works for me. And I may or may not threaten Gwen with her door being locked if she gets out of her room. Just kidding... but seriously.
Good Luck!
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