Sleep is essential to ensure we are healthy and ready to engage in what life has to offer.
Going to sleep and getting enough sleep are important skills for children to learn.
Sleep helps to ensure that children are able to play and are ready to participate in day-to-day activities at school or at home and it promotes growth and development. Understanding the basics about sleep can help you think about why your child may be having sleep difficulties. When your child has a sleep difficulty it can be tempting to compare their sleep with that of other children. Remember that all children are individuals and making comparisons is not helpful.
If your child is not sleeping you may feel as if you are failing but remember – all parents go through difficulties establishing good sleeping habits with their children. A poor night’s sleep can interfere with a child’s performance and behaviour the following day.
TVs and screens give out a blue artificial light which stops the brain from producing its ‘sleepy hormone’ (melatonin) and this interferes with sleep.
De-clutter your child’s bedroom before sleep e.g.,
Children tend to thrive on routines. Try to keep regular times for going to bed and getting up. Winding down is a very important stage in preparing your child for bed. Good habits for getting to sleep will help to manage night time waking. Be aware of how your child gets to sleep as this indicates their ability to self soothe. If you have to attend to your child waking then limit stimuli as much as you can; use dim lights and quiet sounds.
An example of a good bedtime routine could be:
We recommend you firstly watch our video workshop on ‘How Children Use Their Senses To Regulate For Learning And Play’ to give more information on sensory play.
Here are some activities ideas to help provide sensory calming input to our bodies:
Proprioception is our sense of where our body is in space and in relation to the world around us. We get proprioceptive information through our muscles and joints when we do activities that involve pushing, pulling, lifting or resisting.
Proprioceptive input has a calming effect on our bodies. Here are some examples of proprioceptive activities:
Closely linked with proprioception is deep touch input which also helps calm our systems down. This is different from light tickly touch which can be alerting and uncomfortable for some young people.
Some ideas for how to deliver deep touch include:
Vestibular is our sense of movement.
There are two types of movement:
Generally you want slow rhythmical linear movement for calming.
Chewing, sucking and blowing can also have a calming effect on the body.
Creation of a space to retreat to when a situation becomes too difficult and the young person needs to reduce the environmental demands. The space should contain items that help them calm and regulate.
Here are some suggestions but keep in mind the young person’s likes and dislikes and whenever possible create the space with them. The space itself can be created using a pop up tent, using room dividers or just a corner of a room. Only provide objects that the young person is safe to access without close supervision.
Items that might go inside your retreat space include:
Depending on the young person’s level of understanding and their ability to follow instructions these activities may also be helpful. Note most of these activities will need to be practiced first at a time when the young person is calm and receptive.
The following are some general ideas. Whether these are calming or not for the child will depend on the young person’s preferences.
It’s important that a child practices this when they are in a relaxed state. Once they have got the hang of it they can use it when they are stressed. It can be helpful to practice this at bedtime for children who have trouble falling asleep.
Start with an 8 on its side. Starting in the middle, go up to the left and trace the left part of the 8 with your finger while you breathe in. When you get to the middle of the 8 again, breathe out while you trace the right part of the 8 with your finger.
How to access Occupational Therapy for Children and Young People.
To make a Request for Assistance please contact us on 02921 836910. Please click here for more information on our Request for Assistance process.
Occupational Therapy for Children and Young People
1st Floor, Woodland House
Maes Y Coed Road
Phone: 02921 836 910
We’re currently working to improve the Keeping Me Well website. If you’d like to help us make this site a better, more helpful experience for you, please take a few minutes to let us know what improvements you’d like to see.