Research indicates that naptime is as important to Montessori preschool students as play-based learning or being given the freedom to pursue personal interests. For the sake of simplicity, you can think of nap time as a chance for a young child’s brain to reset, storing learned information and processing associations which have been encountered during the early part of the day. Naps Promote Better Health
Naps are a crucial step in Montessori preschool. Young children who are allowed to nap once or twice during the day exhibit better health and cognitive functioning. Children who do not take naps may display less self-control, become aggressive or overly emotional, or have difficulty remembering concepts and social etiquette. Naps allow the body and mind to recuperate, and that promotes better general health. Learning and Sleep Insufficient sleep can have unwanted effects on young children. Not only is it more difficult for them to be alert during study time, children are also less capable of learning new concepts if they are tired. Lack of sleep can have other impacts, as well, including making it more difficult to get to sleep at bedtime. Sleep and Behavior We have all seen how children can become irritable or emotional when they are tired. Taking morning or afternoon naps help children recharge their emotional balance, which benefits them as well as the classroom as a whole. For teachers, nap time helps maintain order in the classroom by reducing the amount of disruptive behavior the children express. Naps Process Learned Information Cognitive associations are enhanced by children taking a nap immediately after being presented with new information. By shutting down many of the mind and body’s voluntary functions, the brain is better able to process and store memories. Better yet, naps seem to allow better information storage so that the things children have learned can be accessed more quickly. As a rule, infants and young toddlers should be given two opportunities to nap during the day, while older toddlers may only need one nap as morning transitions into mid-day. You can observe your children’s behavior to determine whether it is time to reduce the number of naps, but do not rush to eliminate nap time completely. Comments are closed.
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