Bedtime Activity: 3 Years

Continue a consistent bedtime routine with your now preschooler. During storytime, she will probably very much enjoy "reading" a familiar book to you. As she reads to you, ask her questions about what the people or animals in the book are doing and why or how they are doing it. She is now starting to think beyond simple "who" and what" questions. Show her the front of the book and point out things, such as the title and author. Similarly, when you are finished, show her the back of the book. These concepts about print are all actually elements of early literacy. As you read, have her turn the pages for you.

Afterwards, ask her if she can tell you at least three important things, or events, that happened in the story. See if she can tell you them in order and repeat them events back to her using words such as first, then, and last. Be sure to limit your questions to just 3 or 4 if it seems to be frustrating her though. This should be an enjoyable and relaxing time for you both!

Possible Intervention Strategies & Supports

• If your child has difficulty following one step directions, help guide her through the direction by either pointing or demonstrating. For example, say, "Get your toothbrush," and either point to the toothbrush or have another toothbrush present and show it to her.

• Undressing for bed while taking off shoes, socks, and/or pants is a great time to have your child play a game to practice standing on one foot for a few seconds. This can help strengthen her standing balance which is needed for a lot of important skills, such as getting in and out of bed, on and off the potty, etc. 

• Copy pages of the book to help your child with retelling the story. You can her put a few pages in order, or have her point to choose what happened first, next, and last.

• When asking new types of questions during bedtime readings, give choices to help your child understand what type of answer you are looking for. If she isn't able to answer, show her how to look back into the book to try to find more information.

Tips

If you can, use photos to prepare your child for the next day. For example, if she's in preschool, show her a picture of her school, teachers, and classmates (as allowed). At this age (or even a bit earlier), she might start awakening in the middle of the night. This could be due to a bad dream or to the need to use the potty. Make sure that you have her use the bathroom just before she gets into bed. She might also like a small nightlight and/or sound machine to help her sleep. If she has a bad dream, make sure she knows you are there. Console her, offer her a favorite, comforting things (e.g., blanket, stuffed animal), and gently encourage her to go back to sleep on her own.

Family Handout

Click here to download an editable one-page handout of this age range's bedtime activity, interventions, and tips.