Quiet time after lunch

[rapido]

Hi all! My 4 yr old has recently been getting into trouble for not lying still and quiet during the 45 minute post lunch quiet time. Today I suggested that he reads his favourite book instead in another room during quiet time and was told that this wasn't allowed. He never sleeps in the day at home any more. Is this just me or is this ridiculous? I don't want him to to fall into a pattern of sleeping during the day as well as being in the nursery's bad books. What do others think? Thanks, R

How silly. Our nursery lets the ones who don't need a nap go into the other room and they can listen to a story tape, or have a story read to them or sit quietly looking at books. Then the ones who need naps can sleep.

Thanks for your replies. He has been going to the same nursery since he was 9 months, albeit different branches and by and large they have been ok. I am thinking of speaking to the boss because I don't see how to resolve this silly situation and he is starting to get fed up with his daily unsmiley face on his report card!

Tell them they need to account for his individual needs and personal stage of development. They may well be keen for all children to do this to make staff lunches or paperwork easier, but it is not on.

I would definitely press them for an alternative. My son had to sleep in the afternoon in nursery in France. At first it was awful because he couldn't, then it was really awful because he got the knack of sleeping all afternoon and then couldn't sleep at night. 4 is too old to start that!! Hope you can get the situation resolved.

Madness and just lazy of them. My DS1, now 6 would have been bouncing off the walls til 11pm if he had an afternoon nap at 4yo, it would also have been pretty impossible to get him to go to sleep too. Is it because they are not used to having 4yo's there, aren't they usually in pre-school or reception by then?

Sorry, when I said get him to sleep, I meant in the afternoon.

Utterly ridiculous. A good nursery caters for individual needs. At DD1's nursery, any children who need a nap can do so, but if they don't want to sleep they can carry on playing, maybe a bit more quietly and with no adult-led activity.

There's no way my 3 year-old would lie quietly and still for 45 min!

Nursery staff are often crap, badly trained and do things automatically without thinking. Talk to somebody higher up. Ask "what exactly is my child getting out of lying still in the dark for 45 minutes?"

Ridiculous. One of my earliest memories is being 3 years old and being forced to lie on a mat at nursery during "nap time". I had long given up napping and remember lying down trying my best not to wriggle around and failing miserably! What a waste of time.

As pozzled said - a good nursery should be catering for the different needs of its children. I am the teacher in a 3+ nursery. After lunch, I have some children who want to tear around the field, others who want to sit and read books, do painting or small world play, and a couple who may have a sleep. It's perfectly possible to cater for all of them. The sleepers lie on the big cushions in our quiet area, the readers sit with an adult in the book corner, the painters and players are independent, and the runners go outside with another adult.

It's lazy care on behalf of your nursery, and something which you should challenge.

are you in the UK?