5 Meaningful Bedtime Routines for Kids

Fun Fact: Winter is the BEST time to improve your child’s bedtime routine. Nature is on your side with an early sunset, and many of us are indoors in the evenings with the colder weather. Check out our favorite ingredients for a meaningful bedtime regime: 


  • Play - Play is one of the very best ways to create a strong bond between you and your kids. Even a simple 10 minutes of engaged parent and child play can have significant impacts on brain development. Whether it’s a nerf gun war, a dance party, or a game of pretend, offering a child your full attention for this sliver of time will leave them in a receptive, connected state and set the scene for bedtime. 

  • Prepare - Several years ago, I had a friend introduce the concept of “nighttime workshop”. At the time, I was newly married with no children and loved the concept just for myself, but it has tremendous potential as a habit-builder for children as well! Nighttime workshop is essentially visualizing and preparing for the following day. Nighttime workshop for kids can include any of the following ideas:

    -Bathing & grooming

-A quick bedroom pickup

-Checking off a chore chart

-Preparing tomorrow’s lunch

-Laying out clothes for the next day

-Packing a backpack

-Filling a water bottle

-Talking through tomorrow’s schedule

-Guided meditation, breathing, or stretching

It doesn’t need to be complicated. Pick your priorities and make them a habit over time (progress, not perfection!). You’ll be amazed how much your comfort your children take from a solid routine they can count on.

  • Read - Did you know that children who are read to at least 3 times a week by a family member are twice as likely to score in the top 25% in reading?! (among a myriad of other benefits!) Nightly reading increases a child’s literary skills/vocabulary, engages their imagination, and is a very calming activity pre-bedtime. If you don’t have a large collection of age-appropriate books at home, consider a regular trip to the local library and request books as birthday gifts!

  • Teach - Calm, snuggly moments in the evening are the perfect time for teaching. In Siegel & Bryson’s No Drama Discipline, they advocate the strategy of redirecting your child away from negative behaviors in the moment and discussing better alternatives at a later time when children (and you!) are no longer emotional. Come bedtime, maybe there were some challenging moments in the day that still need to be worked through. Maybe there was something wonderful your child did that deserves recognition. What better time to reinforce values and emotional intelligence than before bed?! 

  • Connect - One of the best parts about bedtime is finding special ways to say “I love you”. Often these are the most intuitive and unique to your family, and they probably vary from child to child depending on their needs and personalities. For my 4-year-old and 2-year old, singing, soft back scratches and calming words are at the top of the list.


We’d love to hear from you. What bedtime routines work for your kids?!



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