Parents Corner

Sleep

3-5 years sleep tips

Your pre-schooler will need between 10-12 hours of sleep at night - like adults, there's a wide range of 'normal'.

  • She will most likely give up napping during the day at this time.
  • Her bedtime will probably become later as she needs less sleep overnight
  • She may still wake during the night and want you to comfort her.
  • Sleep problems, such as nightmares and sleepwalking, are common at this age.
  • Your pre-schooler may find it more difficult to settle to sleep - especially after a big day at pre-school - and may develop a range of delaying tactics at bedtime.
  • If you have been sharing a bed up until this time, you may find that your pre-schooler is ready to move into her own bed and her own room.

Night waking

Night waking is still common at this age. While some children will be able to resettle themselves, others will still need your help to resettle. As she grows older, she won't feel the need to be so physically close to you, so her regular visits to your bed in the dead of night should gradually lessen.

If your child needs help to go back to sleep you may need to change some of the 'going to sleep' routines. Make sure that you settle her in her own bed when she first goes to sleep, otherwise she may be disoriented when she wakes during the night.

Play

As your pre-schooler matures, she will become aware that she is heading towards 'big school' and will start modelling big school behaviour by attempting to write her name and parts of the alphabet. She will also enjoy craft activities - so stock up on the scrap paper, glitter and glue now!

And as she begins to develop proper friendships with other children, she will become involved in plenty of imaginative play, so try to choose unstructured toys (wooden blocks rather a set that can only make the one thing on the box) that will encourage open-ended play.

Good toys at this age are: 

  • Simple board and card games - snakes and ladders, ludo, snap, go fish
  • Puppets
  • Art and craft materials
  • A two-wheeler bike with training wheels
  • Sports equipment - golf clubs, football, basketball and hoop
  • Dress-ups
  • Puzzles
  • Picture books
  • Construction toys
  • Household equipment for imaginative play - telephone, shopping bags, tea set, cash register
  • Climbing gym or swing set

Encouraging imaginative play   

While your pre-schooler, no doubt, has a wonderful imagination and is slaying dragons and having tea with the queen every day, a great way to encourage imaginative play is to have:

  • A dress-up box. No matter what sex your child is, try to provide clothing and props (handbags, pirate patches, veils, jewellery, light sabre) that will cover the needs of both sexes. Who are you to judge if your daughter wants to be Darth Vadar?
  • A recycling box. If you have a stash of empty containers, cereal boxes and milk cartons, your pre-schooler will be able to turn the lot into a supermarket, or a robot, a space-ship, or Darth Vadar… the list is endless.
  • Paper, pencils, crayons, glue. These are all must-have items for making a shop sign, playing schools, making a pet mouse, or a pirate hat.
  • Second-hand kitchen utensils. Every make-believe house should have them! How can you cook an imaginary cake for your imaginary husband without a wooden spoon?
  • Building blocks. What can't you make with building blocks?
  • A secret spot. Clearly, if you know about the secret spot then it's hardly a secret; but a quiet spot tucked out of the way - behind the sofa, under the kitchen table, a hidey-hole in a garden bush, down the side passage - will allow her to conjure up her own magnificent world without you barging in and ruining her illusion.