What do your preschool age children do during the afternoon when they don't nap anymore? As we all know, there is that tough time of day and I'm just curious what most moms do to get through the day?
Thanks!
Quiet time with books, stuffed animals and low (but with enough light to read) lighting. Sometimes sleep comes naturally ; )
It would depend on what we did the rest of the day.....if we had a quiet morning than we would go out and play after lunch. If we had a morning outside running around and activities then we would read, draw, watch tv etc.
My kids still go to their rooms at exactly the same time they used to nap. Now they take books and are allowed to play with quiet toys I leave in their room so long as they are not loud. Sometimes they do end up napping, usually not for my daughter, but often for my son. Mine stay in their rooms from 1:30-3:00 (though I will let them out earlier if the little brothers are awake). I do usually let them watch a tv show to transition from quiet time to play time (we usually go outside) and I also use that as their reward for letting me have some time to do the work I need to do/make phone calls etc. If they aren't quiet, there is no tv at the end.
See if you can search Mamapedia for the term "quiet time." There have been lots of other postings on your basic question and establishing a quiet time routine is usually the answer.
I sometimes let my daughter watch a movie. If it is one she has seen before and she is tired she will fall asleep. I just get tired of fighting her.
I have "quiet time". I give them something quiet to do, like read a book or color.
