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Social Story for Naptime at Daycare
A naptime social story helps a child who finds it hard to rest at daycare or preschool. Naptime there is very different from home: a cot instead of a bed, lots of other children in one room, and a grown-up who isn’t Mom or Dad. Some children worry about falling asleep away from home, and some just can’t switch off with so much going on.
The story below shows what naptime looks like, and says something many children need to hear: you don’t have to fall asleep, you just have to rest. Free to read aloud and to print, or make one with your child in it.
What will happen, in order
- Lunch, then naptime
- Find my cot
- Blanket and lovey from home
- Lights low, quiet music
- Rest, even if I don’t sleep
Read the steps together in the daytime, more than once. The free printable below has these steps at the top and the bedtime story underneath.
Ollie’s Quiet Time
A free story to read aloud tonight
At Ollie’s daycare, after lunch, it was naptime. Miss Kim pulled down the blinds, and the room went soft and dim, and all the cots came out, low to the floor, in rows.
Ollie’s cot was the blue one by the bookshelf. On it was his blanket from home, the one with the stars, and Moo, his little stuffed cow. They had come from home in his bag that morning.
Miss Kim turned on quiet music, the kind with no words. “Shoes off, lie down, find your comfy spot,” she said in her naptime voice, which was very soft.
Ollie lay down. Next to him, Ruby was already asleep. Ollie’s eyes didn’t feel sleepy. “I can’t sleep,” he whispered to Miss Kim. She knelt down by his cot. “That’s okay,” she said. “You don’t have to sleep. You just have to rest your body. Can you rest?”
Ollie could rest. He held Moo, and he counted the stars on his blanket, and listened to the music. He counted to fourteen stars. And somewhere around fifteen, without noticing, he fell asleep.
When he woke up, the blinds were open, and there was a snack. At home that night, Ollie got into bed with his star blanket, and Moo, and Mom turned on quiet music, just like at daycare. And this time, he didn’t even get to five.
Read it a few nights running rather than on the morning of. Familiarity is the part that works. The aim is that by the day itself, none of it is new.
My child won’t nap at daycare. What can help?
A comfort item from home, a few quiet minutes of the same routine every day, and permission to rest instead of having to sleep often help. Talk to the caregivers about what works at home, and whether there are quiet options for children who don’t nap.
Is it normal for a child to stop napping?
Yes. Many children drop naps somewhere in the preschool years, at very different ages. If you are worried about your child’s sleep, ask your pediatrician.