How to get an 8yr old to rest????

[crossfornoreason]

My son is 8, he's bright doing well at school attends clubs has friends.... in short he is busy.
However at the moment this is not translating into him collapsing into bed at night quite the opposite his nature is to overthink (like mine) but unlike me he doesn't put his head down and sleep. Result is he's getting tired but I'm struggling to get him to rest or relax.... all tips welcome...
I don't want to start getting rid of his pleasures but it's very tough.

Pleasures sounds bad! He loves screens but they are quite restricted already don't want to take them away completely since he values them so highly....

does he enjoy a bath before bed?
I would limit screen time in the evenings too and encourage a book or
audio book instead.
you could also look into mindfulness exercises that you could perhaps do together to help him unwind. there are quite a few kid friendly mindfulness videos online you could have a look at.

audio CDs!! Absolute best parenting tip I have ever been given.

You can either get a cd player and Cds or play through audible on a tablet/ phone - my son (who is super energetic) will actually lie on his bed in total silence for hours listening to his favourite stories. Or we put them on and he plays with his lego.

Roald Dahl/ how to train your dragon are favourites.

Apparently colouring before bed is the best thing for the brain to switch off to. My friend does sleep studies with children and adults, and they ask troubled sleepers to colour for 30 minutes for bed, with really good results.

Love these suggestions am going to try colouring I do read but think the story we are reading is too exciting might try one they've read before so they don't need to know what happens next...