Using Quiet Time to Help Students Recharge

In my classroom, we have a time that’s designated as stop the world. I call this stop the world because, I believe it’s important for my students to just relax, for just a little bit of the day. In early childhood, many children a nap during the day. They’ll have a lunch or a morning routine and then take a nap. That lets them rest up their bodies for the rest of the afternoon. My children are ages four and five, they take this time to pick a center, or a station, or an activity that they can do individually, all alone. They take that to a special place in our classroom, designated for them. They are not to talk to others, play with others, interact with others. It’s just a time for them to be alone. It’s amazing the things that they create, and what I see as I observe them, stopping the world. I do this for about forty-five minutes to an hour every day, and afterward they are ready and prepared to be their best, for the rest of the afternoon.