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Physical activity, nap time, and quiet time

​​Physical activity, quiet time or naptime are all important for a child’s healthy growth and development. Physical activity, naptime or quiet time activities offer opportunities to strengthen and reinforce physical, social, and emotional skills.

Physical activity

Children need to be physically active throughout the day and naturally love to move and have lots of energy! Physical activity has many benefits for children, including:

  • Maintaining a healthy weight.
  • Reduces risk of future chronic diseases like diabetes.
  • Promotes the development of muscles, brain, and bones.
  • It helps with developing balance, movement, and coordination skills.
  • Allows children to build social skills through interactions with others.
  • Builds self-confidence and independence.
  • Encourages self-confidence and independence.
  • Creates an opportunity and outlet for imagination.

Establishing a path for a healthy lifestyle decreases a child's risk of obesity and all the health conditions related to being overweight:

  • Encourage activity several times daily (30 to 60 minutes a day).
  • Limit TV to less than 2 hours a day.
  • Be a role model for physical activity.
  • Focus on fun, not performance, and let children help choose the activity.
  • Active play should sometimes lead to increased breathing or sweating.
  • Activities for young children should be age-appropriate, enjoyable, and variable.
  • Avoid using the removal of active play time as a form of punishment.
  • Children’s energy may occur in bursts, and while they should guide the activities, opportunities and safety should be monitored by the provider.

Balancing active time with nap time or quiet time is important in a child’s routine. As children grow, they may need fewer naps and eventually no longer feel the need to. As a caregiver, it’s important to observe children’s behavior during scheduled naptimes and talk with their parents/caregivers about their child’s sleeping habits.

Signs that children may need to continue to have naps:

  • Becoming more irritable or overtired in the evening.
  • Struggling to stay awake during the daytime.

Signs that children may need to stop napping:

  • They have a tough time falling asleep during naptime.
  • They have a challenging time falling asleep at nighttime.
  • They are waking up earlier in the morning than they normally would.
  • They no longer nap without showing any signs of sleepiness.

When children no longer need naps, this time becomes quiet time. During quiet time, children get a break from sight, sounds, and other stimulating activities. Quiet time offers children the opportunity to:

  • Relax which helps prevent sensory overload.
  • Engages in solitary play and learns to do things independently.
  • Activates their imagination and creative thinking.
  • Helps develop the ability to focus on doing an activity.
  • Allows the brain to absorb new information.
  • Helps children to self-regulate and reflect on their thoughts and feelings.

Examples of quiet time activities:

  • Building toys such as wooden blocks
  • Drawing or coloring
  • Playing with action figures or dolls
  • Pretend play like playing doctor or playing with stuffed animals.
  • Playing with trains or cards, building roads or tracks
  • Puzzles and magnets
  • Reading books

Physical activity can take a different form and hold a different purpose for infants versus children. Active play with an infant allows for first-time opportunities to learn and develop, to explore and move around helping them to grow more aware and gain strength. However, be wary of a young infant’s curiosity as they like to reach for items, crawl around, and play with various objects as it can quickly become a safety issue.

The following are some guidelines for activities for infants per AAP and WIC standards:

  • Infants should be taken outside 2-3 times a day although there is no recommended duration of time.
  • They should have supervised tummy time every day while they are awake for short periods of time (3 to 5 minutes), increasing the amount of time slowly.
  • Ways to promote tummy time can be as simple as placing yourself or a toy just out of their reach during playtime to encourage them to reach, scoot, or crawl.
  • Infants should not be seated for more than 15 minutes except during meals or naps.
  • Sedentary equipment such as swings, seats, and stationary activity centers should be used for short periods of time.
  • It is important to limit a restrictive environment and allow a safe space for exploration (such as crawling) and growth.
    • Activities can be as simple as:
    • Stretching arms
    • Rolling over
    • Wiggling toes
    • Shaking or gripping a rattle
    • Popping bubbles that you blow
    • Peek-a-boo

The safety of children should always be considered especially when choosing physical activities. It’s important that children participate in activities that is developmentally and age appropriate for the. All children should be supervised particularly when using any equipment. To help prevent injury, all equipment including any play structures should be checked regularly for damage and should be removed if broken or damaged.

Other things to consider:

  • It is your responsibility to supervise the safety of active play; do not mix meal/snack time with physical activity
  • Always stretch before and after to prevent strain
  • Wear proper equipment for activities, ex. protective equipment such as helmets, elbow pads, knee pads, etc.
  • As a measurement of appropriate intensity: heavy breathing is fine if a child is still able to talk
  • Make sure children know to stop if they begin to feel faint, dizzy, or nauseous
  • Use sunscreen for outdoor activities
  • Supervise children who can participate in water activities closely

Caring for Our Children (CFOC) – A collection of national standards that represent the best practices, based on evidence, expertise, and experience, for quality health and safety policies and practices for today’s early care and education settings.

UCSF Child Care Health Program - Trains professionals on health and safety issues related to early care and education settings, supports a statewide child care health consultation network, and conducts research.

Child Care Center Regulations, Title 22, Division 12 – Manual of Polices and Procedures from Community Care Licensing Division.

Family Child Care Home Regulations, Title 22, Division 12, Chapter 3 - Manual of Polices and Procedures from Community Care Licensing Division.

References

AAP – Active Opportunities for Physical Activity 
AAP – Physical Activity: How Much is Needed? 
My Plate – Healthy Tips for Active Play 
WIC – Playing with Your Baby 

Child Care Health Consultant

East Valley Public Health Department
1993-B McKee Road
San Jose, CA 95116

Child Care Health Consultant: (408) 937-2253
MCAH Mainline: (408) 937-2250
Email: [email protected]