All parents know fine and well that young children need a daytime nap, but do we know why?
For the little ones in our lives, napping is not just a pause from the day’s activities; it’s a fundamental component of their day-to-day life.
Leigh Coates, a Child Care Expert with over 20 years of experience in the industry, explained why this is the case. “Naps are an absolute essential for children for a plethora of reasons, but ultimately naps recharge a child’s energy. The knock-on effect of this is undeniably positive, working to help both their physical and emotional development and learning and even just simply their general wellbeing.”
Leigh’s explanation identifies three specific areas that naps aid: a child’s ability to learn, their health and their mood. Fortunately, numerous studies have been conducted to demonstrate the direct effect napping has on these three things.
Learn: A study of nursery children found that those who had napped consistently performed significantly better in memory-based games. It concluded that depriving a child of a nap has the potential to have dire consequences for their long-term memory and test performance, underscoring the positive effects it has.
Health: The same study showed that children who don’t get enough sleep or skip out on naps tend to have a higher body mass index. Inadequate sleep is also evidenced to be a contributor for childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Mood: A study reveals that children who don’t have a daytime nap, despite falling asleep quicker at night, display poorer behaviour during the day. Whether it be feeling more anxious, throwing tantrums or lots of tears, napping is evidenced to have an all-around positive impact on their general wellbeing.
Despite this indisputable evidence of the benefits of the daytime nap, it is a common occurrence for young children to resist them.
Leigh says, “What is key to remember is that this too is normal. Children tend to resist naps as they get older or usually if they are hungry. No two children are the same and nobody should subscribe to the ‘one approach fits all’ when it comes to our children.”
One thing that can be said for certain is that naps are unarguably a good idea. So much so that some countries are adopting it for adults in the workplace. In China, offices often create “sleep rooms” to boost the alertness, concentration, performance and productivity of employees in a move that is said to be highly successful.
So, should we just leave naps for kids?
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