Children Are The Greatest Gift From God!

Just like good nutrition and regular exercise, quality sleep is an essential element to staying healthy. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children between the ages of three to five need an average of 12 hours of sleep daily. Quality naps help your kid’s physical, emotional, and memory development.

So to get the hours of rest required, infants and toddlers need a good dose of fulfillment nap. While a solid night’s sleep is more critical than day napping, a 30 minutes nap remains vital for school-aged kids. So, do you wonder why nap time matters, or if your child’s Christian daycare incorporates naptime hours into the curriculum? Well, read on to know Premier Christian Academy’s ideas on nap time.

Encourages Fitness

Kids, and most adults, eat more when they are tired and do not sleep enough. This insufficient sleep and unnecessary eating lead to higher rates of obesity. Also, tired children tend to choose junk foods and caffeinated drinks that are not very healthy. Again, exercise is a vital part of a healthy weight. But, when kids are tired, they do not have much energy to be active and get enough exercise, leading to decreased body fitness.

Improves Ability to Learn and Recall

Evidence suggests that napping improves not just language-learning, but general learning for children. Experienced teachers know that a good classroom nap enhances your child’s ability to learn. Children who enjoy a good hour of sleep during the day tend to have higher IQs and excel academically.

Aids in Memory Formation

Daytime naps involve increased cognitive abilities. A study showed that a long nap increased a toddler’s ability to remember something taught to them a day earlier. Children who had regular and consistent nap times also did remember better than others. In other words, a good nap helps children to retain information and make long-term memories.

Regulates Better Mood and Behavior

According to research, there is a connection between midday napping and greater happiness. Insufficient sleep can cause hyperactive and aggressive behaviors in kids. The children become cranky, irritable, and impatient. They are more likely to throw tantrums and may have trouble focusing on their tasks.

However, toddlers who had consistent nap times had an increased ability to self-regulate their behavior and emotions. They had better self-control, were less anxious, and showed fewer behavioral problems.

A daytime nap isn’t always convenient, but your child may not recover the benefit of the lost rest with an overnight sleep. To encourage kids to take a nap, they should nap around the same time and same place daily. Let the napping room be cool, dark, and distraction-free so that the kid will sleep better.

Also, keep the nap time short to less than 30 minutes unless the kid is tired or sick. Long naps tend to make it difficult for kids to sleep at night. At Premier Christian Academy, our before and after school care offers kids an opportunity to get in a bit of nap time after a long day of learning.

Contact Premier Christian Academy today for a well-rounded Christian education for kids.