The Quiet Box

We're starting a new part of our schedule here at Lizzie's Home this week.

Around these parts, we aim to have the kids in bed by 8:30 pm. Apparently we are abnormal in our decision to go for this time, with the kids' respective friends enduring a much earlier bedtime, but we think this is a good time for our kids. They aren't tired the next day at school and they're still getting around 10-11 hrs a night. I could only dream!

But we did notice that we were sending them to bed all wired from a frenetic bedtime routine. Our kids are really good sleepers so within half an hour they'd be out like a light anyway, but it still bothered me that the post-dinner period was consumed with TV.

So an effort on my part will see dinner served a little earlier, baths given a little earlier, have them brush their teeth a little earlier, and the TV turned off at 8:00 pm for a half-hour 'quiet time'. To 'sell' the idea to the kids, we're bringing in The Quiet Box.

Activities will be sourced from home, dollar stores and flea markets. The idea is to throw things into the box that promote quiet play - puzzles, new colouring books, games they can play together quietly. The Quiet Box only comes out at 8:00 pm, and only if the TV is off. No exceptions. At 8:30, we pack the box up and head to bed.

A thought: The only way this will remain exciting for them is to restrict the amount of time The Quiet Box is brought out (only that half hour a night) and to frequently switch out the activities. We'll be using it to slow them down at night (and to promote family time, if we find an appropriate game or activity we can all do) but you could use the principle anywhere - for example, a library bag filled with car games and books could become The Quiet Bag and might only be brought out while on long trips (you could keep it in the trunk).

Eventually, we'd like to extend quiet time out to a full hour. But first things first!

Cheers,
Lizzie