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Sometimes as a parent, bedtime in itself can feel like embarking on a mission. Having already had a long and probably tiring day, it’s now time to convince the children that it’s time to settle down for sleep. We’ve probably all read that the best way is to have a clear bedtime routine and whilst this is true, busy lives and commitments can sometimes make this a hard task to stick to. Instead, why not try to make bed an exciting place to go, create a story which becomes a game and make heading off into bed feel like an adventure, because, after all, there’s lots of fun to be had in the land of dreams.
When you do have the time, tell the children the story that they’re astronauts training for a trip to sleep amongst the stars and incorporate it into the preparations for bed.
You could start as early as homework, telling them how astronauts need to study hard to learn all the mental skills required before they even begin to train for the physical challenges of space travel. They must learn their reading and spellings ready for public speech and foreign languages to converse with other astronauts they might work with on the International Space Station. Although I found it quite fun to speculate that they may need to converse with aliens and we had lots of fun imagining how they might speak. Mine always suggest the possibility of it being via rude noises!?
If they still have energy they need to run off before bed, this would be a good time for zero-gravity training. I would suggest a good way to try moon walking might be bouncing on the bed but if in your house (like ours) this isn’t really encouraged. May I suggest they instead go for a spin around in the garden or suitable open space. This is to mimic a ride in the ‘vomit comet’ where astronauts learn how weightlessness feels; as the nickname for it suggests it can apparently be quite nauseating!
Having wound them up, it’s now time to wind down and bath time is another great way to prepare for their trip to the stars. The most obvious reason for this is that there are no proper showers or baths in space so they need to be clean before they go. I know plenty of little ones who will only be further encouraged to train as an astronaut for this reason alone. However, this isn’t the only reason the bath is good training for a space expedition; astronauts spend lots of time training underwater because it mimics the zero-gravity environment in space. They practice getting around inside a space station and manoeuvring large objects and vehicles in weightless conditions.
Zipped into their spacesuits or onesies, it’s time for a story. You could read something space themed or just make up your own, map out a route to the stars and discuss what planets they might visit and who they might meet on their adventure into sleep. I find talking before bed and planning the dreams they’d like a really useful tool, especially at times when they might be experiencing disrupted sleep or nightmares. Steer clear of any negative thoughts and discuss things that they’re looking forward to or the most fun and exciting experiences they can imagine.
Now off to their spaceship, which is of course bed and they’ll need to be tucked in tight. With no gravity in space, there’s no right way to sleep, astronauts could be standing up or even upside down and it would make no difference but they do need to clip their sleeping bags to the side of the spaceship so they don’t float around. So comfortably tucked in, a good quality mattress should distribute their weight and keep their body well cushioned ready to begin the countdown and blast off to sleep.
If they do wake or disturb in the night, gently use the story in leading or soothing them back to sleep. If they’ve had a nightmare, suggest that they steer their spaceship back towards the fun friendly planet they imagined earlier. Hopefully now in bed and sleeping soundly, you can begin your own bedtime preparations. I personally find the idea of floating off into the stars the perfect relaxing thought for clearing the mind for sleep.
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