any thoughts on how to help 4yo DD to wind down in the evening?

[Honesttodog]

I was just flicking thru a sleep book and they talked about learning a new skill affecting sleep. Well, DD is obsessed with writing and learning sounds/letter shapes at the moment and I think she really wants to be able to read. So, she is still wide awake and singing/reading as I type this, even tho I put her to bed at 7.15. I had hoped that by putting her to bed nice and early, she would then have a bit of her playing/reading time and fall asleep perhaps around 8. she is really noisy, but she is a chatty girl who loves singing by day so perhaps it just seems noisy after 7pm....

I am wondering what I can do to help her wind down. I think it is so hard for little ones to relax when they can't yet read. Our routine is bath, then she reads/plays in her room while baby has bottle, then I read to her and we have some silly play with her toys, and some cuddles and I leave. She has a new lamp and bedside table as she was straining her eyes trying to read in the light from the landing before.

I am wondering if there is a relaxing bit of yoga or stretching we can do, where we talk about being calm? About being sleepy, keeping our bodies still, getting comfortable, thinking about our day etc?

I don't know about yoga or stretching, but I would move the toys playing to earlier in the evening, so do bath, cuddles, story (while she's in bed) with a dim light and then lights off.

We went through a stage where we'd let our DDs (now 4 and nearly 6) keep their light on and read/do stickers in bed (but no talking or playing) for 10 mins after we'd left the room, then would return to turn the light out and then they'd sleep. Worked well for us.

I tried talking ds through being a robot turning himself off and feeling floppy. Doing each leg, then each arm and brain last. Not sure if it worked but it made me feel better to try!
I think my ds has had problems getting to sleep since the birth of dd. I think my stress about bedtime in the early days really aggravated it but it sounds like you're keeping everything calm and still having bedtime time with her. Sorry, not much help...

Yes, the playtime is a problem and it's my own fault! she has this alligator puppet book and I turned him into a character that keeps going on adventures but forgets to have lunch and has to bite her instead. She absolutely wept with laughter the first time and now she requests him every sodding night. It is rather wearing to have to do on the spot physical comedy for a 4 year old just before bedtime...

I will have a chat about being quiet and will suggest having the alligator at a different time of day maybe....

Difficult to set time limits because she is quite stubborn and I know we'd end up with her bartering for "just 2 more minutes" of reading time. I feel like she needs time to look at her books by herself.

We are about to move house so I would really like her to be able to do something to calm herself down rather than needing me.

I might look for a relaxation cd for kids! Or have I just spotted a gap in the market?

I don't know if this makes a difference, but we have ds's (also 4) bottle of milk downstairs and read him a story, then when he goes upstairs he brushes teeth, gets into pyjamas and goes to bed. We do a bedtime prayer then I put the light out and it is sleep time. I wonder if he settles more easily because we haven't played or read stories in his room, so once he goes to his room it is time for sleep? Just wondering if it would help you to read bedtime story downstairs and then take her up?