Why Calming Bedtime Activities Are Crucial For Children’s Mental Health: Our Top Ten Ideas
I know it’s not always easy to ensure your child sleeps well. But there are so many benefits when your child gets a good night’s sleep.
Calming bedtime activities help massively with this goal.
Why Is Good Sleep Essential For Children?
| Benefit of Good Sleep | Description |
|---|---|
| Cognitive Growth & Development | Good sleep quality enhances attention and focus, leading to better academic performance. |
| Physical Growth | Crucial for the production of growth hormones and strengthens the immune function. |
| Emotional Regulation | Supports emotional stability. Well-rested children are less likely to have mood swings and outbursts. |
| Reduces Anxiety & Stress | Helps rest the nervous system, beneficial for energetic children. |
| Repairs and Replenishes | Sleep repairs and replenishes the brain and body, boosting energy levels. |
| Foundations for Lifelong Health | Good sleep sets the stage for lifelong health. |
There are many positive things you can do to support your child’s sleep health with calming bedtime activities.
These activities will soothe your child’s nervous system and prime it for a deep and restful sleep.
If you’re worried about your child’s sleep, it might be time to try a new bedtime routine, incorporating some of these activities.
I’m going to take you through some things to think about when deciding which calming
bedtime activities to consider.
Have a Consistent Night-Time Routine
Routines in general are beneficial as they can give us a sense of predictability, security and stability.
Predictability in the routine will signal the wind-down process to your child’s brain and make it easier for them to drift into restful sleep.
Calming Bedtime Activities: Which Are Best To Incorporate Into Your Child’s Routine?
Before we can plan in some calming bedtime activities we need to think about your child’s needs, including their age and lifestyle.
- Do they get back late from afterschool activities?
- Do you all wait to eat together?
- Do they need a bath every night?
- Do they have homework to complete before bedtime?
- Do they struggle with organisation & need to get ready for the next day, the night
- before?
Remember, a consistent night-time routine helps the transition to sleep by giving the brain cues that sleep is the end goal.
Relaxing activities are much better than high intensity physical exercise or stimulating
games before bed-time.
We want to calm the body and mind, not activate it.
Calming Bedtime Activities: My Top 10 Picks
What bedtime activities are helpful? The answer is any activities that are calming, predictable and enjoyable.
Here’s how you can help your child relax, calm down and get ready for a good night’s sleep.
1. Bedtime Schedule
Set a bedtime schedule together that is practical and achievable. It may need
adjusting and tweaking, but it’s a great idea to start with the foundations and build from
there.
Set a bedtime according to their age, the time they need to wake up and individual
sleep patterns.
2. Bath
At the end of a long day, a warm soothing bath with essential oils or a scented candle
can be a perfect way to soothe & wind-down.
Your child could even use a fragrant body lotion.
3. Light Snack
Certain types of light snack before bed can actually aid sleep by helping the brain produce melatonin (the sleep hormone) and magnesium (an essential nutrient which can help the body relax).
Do avoid anything sugary or containing caffeine, as these can both contribute to insomnia.
Good snacks include cashew nuts or almonds, avocado toast or kiwi fruit, all of
which contain ingredients that can potentially aid sleep.
Herbal teas can be a soothing part of the bedtime routine too. Some examples include
chamomile, lavender or valerian root tea.
4. Calming Bedtime Music
A great way to relax and clear the head of all the busy stuff.
I recommend calming genres of music such as classical music, ocean sounds or soft jazz or just some favourite songs.
5. Meditation
This is a super tool and one of the most effective ways to calm the mind. The focus on
breathing & the present moment can help to bring anxiety levels down too.
Here’s a lovely one from One Perfect Moment on YouTube:
You can also try apps like Smiling Mind, which contains some brilliant meditations for children of different ages.
Guided meditations which are age appropriate and specifically designed for children
can help with physical and mental relaxation.
The meditations often focus on a calming narrative and guide the listener with gentle breathing.
6. PMR – Progressive Muscle Relaxation.
PMR can reduce tension and relax your child’s muscles. It can help to release any
pent-up energy in the body.
By relaxing the muscles, the body feels heavier and more ready for sleep.
You can do this with your child together, starting with the toes and working up the
body to the head. Once they know what to do, they can do it for themselves.
To help you get started, here’s a great video from Smile and Learn which is perfect for younger kids as part of their calming bedtime routine.
7. Reading Stories
Stories are wonderful for your child’s development, imagination & creativity.
Stories can be a calming part of the bedtime routine, helping to relax your child.
Studies have shown that reading can lower blood pressure and increase blood flow
making it even more effective than other relaxing activities such as drinking herbal
tea.
Reading a bedtime story together also offers an opportunity for some parent/child
bonding.
Why not try out a favourite book as an audio book too?
8. Practice Gratitude
Encourage your child to practice gratitude by sharing one or two things that they are
happy and grateful about.
They might like to write their grateful thoughts in a bedtime journal or have a quiet conversation and reflection time.
9. Bedtime Yoga Routine
Yoga can be a super calm activity & an excellent way of getting the body and mind ready for sleep.
The gentle stretching & regulated breathing required in Yoga can relieve physical
tension, stress and anxiety and eliminate excess energy.
Here’s a wonderful video from Yoga Class Kids for you to try with your child.
Sensory Activities
Certain sensory activities help your child to relax, self-soothe and transition to sleep mode by engaging their different sensory systems (smell, touch, vision, hearing).
- Here are some examples but you might have some of your own.
- Using a weighted blanket which provides gentle pressure to your child’s body helping them to feel grounded and secure.
- Tactile and sensory play such as cuddling a favourite toy with a soothing texture or blankets with sensory fabric squares.
- Soft lighting such as night-lights or luminous ceiling stars.
- Aromatherapy & essential oils diffuser.
The great thing about these calming activities are, they’re helpful for people of any age, not just children.
Build a consistent bedtime routine so they’re ready for the next day.
Spend some time deciding on which calming bedtime activities you and your child want to try.
| Do’s & Don’ts | Recommendations |
|---|---|
| DO: Develop Routine | Develop a relaxing screen-free routine. Consider blue light glasses to mitigate screen effects. |
| DO: Quality Time | Have quality time with fun, low intensity activities like jigsaws, coloring, and drawing. |
| DO: Wind-Down Time | Avoid abrupt transitions from play to bed. Include relaxing activities in the wind-down time. |
| DO: Listen to Concerns | Listen to fears and anxieties. Offer comfort or include a favourite comfort item in the bedtime routine. |
| DON’T: Sugary Snacks | Avoid sugary snacks and drinks before bedtime. |
| DON’T: Punish with Bedtime | Never use bedtime as a punishment. |
| DON’T: Electronics | Avoid electronic devices before bed to help with melatonin production. |
| DON’T: Co-Sleep | Co-sleeping has its place with younger children but for a sustainable and fully rested night’s sleep for 5-17s, encourage independent sleep habits in their own bed. |
Sleep Problems
Poor sleep following a rough day in isolation is mostly manageable but what should you do if you’ve established a night-time routine and your child still isn’t having enough sleep?
Sleep deprivation is really tough on both children and adults. If your child is experiencing sleep problems for multiple weeks in a row, I’d recommend you seek some professional support.
On a positive note, there are many experts who can help.
Start with a visit to your doctor who can refer you onto an appropriation professional such as a paediatrician, clinical psychologist or occupational therapist.
Related Articles
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6 Sensory Sleep Strategies: Better Bedtimes For Your Child
Sleep Anxiety in Children: Expert Guide
ADHD Sleep Routine: A Better Bedtime For Your Child
A Good Night’s Sleep for Your Autistic Teen? Top Tips
Hayley Vaughan-Smith is a Person-Centred Counsellor accredited by the National Counselling & Psychotherapy Society. She is the founder and counsellor at The Ridge Practice in Buckinghamshire, and counsellor at Everlief Child Psychology.
Hayley has a special interest in bereavement counselling and worked as a bereavement volunteer with Cruse Bereavement Care for four years.
Hayley is mum to 3 grown up girls, and gardening and walking in nature is her own personal therapy. Hayley believes being in nature, whatever the weather, is incredibly beneficial for mental health well-being.
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