Many homeschooling families (and really, families of any style) would agree that having a daily quiet time works wonders. When I was first learning about the homeschool process, I saw quiet time mentioned on homeschooling blogs a lot. Thanks to my teaching background and high need (and love) for structure, I had already begun this process, in our home. However, joining the homeschooling community definitely enhanced my quiet time expectations, ideas, and experience for my kids!

What Is Quiet Time?

As most of you are aware, quiet time is simply a portion of the day reserved for more relaxed activities. The level of noise, types of activities and duration varies greatly from family to family. You also may have different expectations for different kids, based on temperament and age. Right now, our 10 year old son, 8 year old daughter and 5 year old son are the ones who do quiet time. (My 2 year old daughter is too young to be independent in this way, and also still naps).

Here is how we currently do quiet time:

• Each kid is in a separate location, in the house
• Each kid has an audiobook to listen to
• Each kid has some sort of quiet activity to work on
• We use a disappearing timer for the 5 year old, so that he knows when time is up

When Can You Start Quiet Time?

For my first two kids, I started training them to do a quiet time around the age of three. I started them out with something small, like 15 minutes. I really love these disappearing timers for that reason–kids can visually see how much time is left. I would often give them a few simple toys that weren’t used any other time of the day, so there would be novelty. I would then turn on a favorite story they were already familiar with, or else a favorite Spotify playlist of kid songs, to listen to.

When the timer went off after 15 minutes, I made a really big deal about it! As time passed, I increased the duration, until we were up to an hour and a half. I don’t remember exactly when my kids could do that long of a quiet time, but for my first two, it was probably around age 4 or 4.5.

My third son, who is currently 5, is highly social, and his love language is definitely physical touch! He wants to be right next to me, all the time. Quiet time was hard for him at first. He wasn’t into it. 😉 We have worked hard to build up to the hour and a half, and now, he can do it. (But-he still likes to be able to see me through the sunroom doors, the whole time! :))

That said, make sure to be in tune with your kid. Every kid is different, and while some may be ready at three, others may not be ready until five. You can also start very small, like I mentioned, and just try 15 minutes at a time. Maybe you do 15 minutes in the morning, and 15 minutes in the afternoon. See how that goes, first.

What To Listen To For Quiet Time

My go-to for audiobooks is always the Libby app. This is an app we use with our library cards, to check out audiobooks. I got several of these bluetooth speakers and each kid can take one. This way, they aren’t using any devices during their quiet time, just listening to the audio streaming. I have a spreadsheet of favorite chapter book titles that we rotate; there are hundreds to choose from! I love lists from Read Aloud Revival, because she has so many different categories that you can search. I also love reminiscing and having my kids read Newberry Medal or Caldecott medal winners from prior decades; books that I grew up reading!

I also have several playlists on our Spotify account, of Disney stories, and other favorites. I know you can also access audiobooks through Spotify, Audible, and other sources!

I tend to be a bit old school, so I love using CD players: both in our van, and in the kids’ rooms. Everyone once in awhile I find great CDs at Half Price Books or garage sales, but usually, I still just check out CDs at our local library. They have lots of audiobooks on CD!

Friends of mine rave about the Yoto player, so that is an incredible option to look into, too!

What Kids Can Do During Quiet Time

Each family may vary on this, but here are some of our favorite activities during quiet time:

• Crafts: drawing, watercolor painting, making cards, stamps & ink, origami, sewing
• Building with MagnaTiles, Legos, Duplos, or similar structures
• Playing with toys (my oldest son loves army figures, tanks, helicopters; my younger son likes Hot Wheels)
• Chalk, Looking for bugs, jumping on the trampoline, or other things in the backyard
• Complete a simple chore, like pairing socks
• Organize toys, or search your room for items to donate

Honestly, the possibilities are endless! There are so many incredible ideas for quiet time on the internet. There are cool, inventive, imaginative toys you can invest in, but honestly, your child can also learn to be a bit more “bored” and play with household items you already have! Instagram accounts like Busy Toddler always have incredible ideas for this.

What would you add? What are your go-to’s for quiet time?

Cait