I remember those first days of motherhood. They were precious, a dream come true, and exhausting! By the time my 14 month old and I found a good rhythm to life, we got the news that brother would be joining the crew. I was nervous and unsure about the transition from one to two. Then a lady gave me some of the best mama advice I’ve ever received! She encouraged to me to work to establish a daily rhythm of quiet time each day. I set to doing just that. When my darling baby boy made his arrival, I arranged our schedule so that they both would take naps from 1:30-3pm. This time was a lifeline, allowing me time to rest and refresh myself, giving me the energy to finish out the day strong.
I look back now, and those were the easy days! The days when I had a baby and a toddler who still didn’t mind to sleep in the afternoon. Fast foward to today, I have an 8 year old, almost 7 year old, 5 year old, 3 year old, and 18 month old. Guess what? We still have an afternoon quiet time *almost* every day, and it is still a lifeline! It’s actually become a time of day that we look forward to. As a homeschool family who spends most moments of the day together, this is our opportunity to find our own corner of the house and do something quiet and relaxing. I find that we come back together refreshed and ready to jump into an afternoon of play.
What is “quiet time”?
Quiet time is just that, a time where our home is quiet and still. I love playing an instrumental hymn station as it adds to a peaceful, calm atmosphere.
What do you do during this time?
Depending on the age of my children, it varies what you might find them doing.
- 18 month old and 3 year old: These two still take a nap, so this is their rest time.
- 5 year old: She has phased out of naps, but she will lay on the couch and look at books, listen to Patch the Pirate on her headphones, do a quiet activity, or rest.
- 7 year old: He spends at least the first 30 minutes reading from a chapter book. After that, he can play in his room (legos are often his toy of choice!), listen to an audio book, listen to audio dramas such as Patch the Pirate or Jonathan Park, or read more.
- 8 year old: She reads for at least the first 30 minutes. I usually have her read one chapter from a biography she is reading for school, then she can read from a novel of her choice. She spends the rest of her time crafting, writing, listening to Jonathan Park audio dramas, or sewing.
- Mama: This is my chance to do whatever is most needed for the day! That might be catching up on laundry, prepping dinner, prepping ahead breakfast for the next day, cleaning the bathrooms- most of these while listening to a podcast or an audiobook. Some days it’s for resting, doing an exercise video, or lying on my Pranamat. Some days, it’s when I get a undisturbed shower and do my hair and makeup. If I can squeeze in a chapter or two of a book, I try to! If I did not have the chance to do my devotional time in the morning (hello mama with little children!), I make that a priority during this time before I do anything else.
What if I haven’t been doing this, and my kids are struggling to adjust to having a daily quiet time?
- While the goal might be 1-1/2 hours of quiet time, if it’s new, I would start with much smaller increments of time. If your child is little and can only be quiet in their room for 5 minutes, start there! Then try to push to 10 minutes, then 20 minutes, etc. An “ok to wake clock” or visual timer is great for this! Kids have no concept of time, so having somethingfor them to see the time go by helps them know you haven’t abandoned them indefinitely to their room. Even little ones who can’t read clocks yet can see the color of a visual timer.
- Have activities that are only for quiet time. Special books, drawing, toys, and such. Check out some of our favorite activities for little ones here!
- Is the child ok to be free in thier room, or do you want them to stay in their bed? My boy was my latest kid to give up naps. Although he didn’t think he needed naps, I knew he still did. His attitude was drastically better if he slept! To get out of a battle everytime I told him to rest, I told him he had to stay in his bed. He could read, play toys, or whatever, but he needed to stay there. I’d peek from time to time to check. Inevitably, he’d fall asleep. Win for me!
- Audiobooks or audio dramas are a huge help! When I had less kids, I’d just play something from my phone or a bluetooth speaker. Now, we do headphones and a little mp3. They love Patch the Pirate, Jonathan Park, and Focus on the Family’s dramatization of The Chronicles of Narnia.
- Play hard throughout the morning and get outside as much as possible. Feed them a good lunch, then off to rest time we go!
- Separate kids. We all find our own little corner of the house. Sometimes you have to get creative if kids share a bedroom. In that case, whichever kid is younger I give bedroom preference to because the littles will nap in their bed. One kid might be at the dining room table (usually my oldest because she likes her afternoon tea while she reads). One might be downstairs on the couch. One might be in the living room.
Consistency over perfection. With time, kids pick up on it. Many moms who established afternoon quiet time when their kids were young find that, as teens, their children still choose to set aside this time for reading, crafting, or pursuing personal interests Like I said, implementing this has been my #1 tip for moms with multiple kids! It’s my time to read, rest, get a shower, catch up on laundry, or whatever. And especially as a homeschool family, while I love all of us being together so much, by the afternoon we are happy to find our own corners and get some quiet time to ourselves.
Hear me share more about Establishing a Quiet Time on the No Higher Calling Podcast.
Do you have questions about establishing a daily quiet time? Or tips to share? I’d love to hear them in the comments!
