Explore soothing activities that can make bedtime with kids more enjoyable, while fostering connection and helping your child unwind at the end of the day. These fun yet calming bedtime ideas aim to relax your child for a peaceful night’s sleep without the usual resistance.
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Imagine cuddling under warm blankets in cozy pajamas, little toes peeking out, while reading adventure-filled stories. A pretty ideal scenario for bedtime, right? Yet, most nights, putting kids to bed feels more like a scene from a scary story than a fairy tale.
By 7:30 PM, I’m exhausted from a day packed with tasks like zipping snow pants, cleaning the kitchen, and giving piggyback rides to energetic kids. And then it’s time for that one last transition—bedtime. A smooth completion of this often chaotic time promises me a few brief hours of peace.
I often feel so drained that my impatience peaks, leaving me frustrated. Despite all the effort to ensure a great day for my family and manage a strong-willed child, it sometimes feels like the evening ends on a sour note. I understand that bedtime interactions influence my children through the night and potentially into the next day. I also know that bedtime is an invaluable time to bond with my kids, though it hasn’t been easy since they tend to tune me out at this time of day.
When I reflect on why bedtime with kids can be stressful, it dawns on me that I’m not alone in being tired. My kids also have spent their day listening, learning, and playing. By evening, further instructions can overwhelm them.
I deeply empathize—they finally get to relax, just as I do when I’m engrossed in a book or lounging on the couch, and don’t want to stop. Despite this, I know that plenty of sleep is vital for improving children’s moods and behavior. So, how do I encourage them to participate in the bedtime routine while respecting their need for downtime?
More importantly, how can we end the day bonding positively, instead of with frustration and guilt?
**Related Read: Unconditional Love: 10 Surprising Ways Your Child Needs You to Show It**
We understand that the healthiest way to motivate a child’s cooperation is through a close relationship with them. Bedtime marks the transition to the longest time apart from their parent each day, which can trigger anxiety. When kids haven’t had enough one-on-one time with their parent, additional stress may ensue.
It’s well-known that play is a major stress reliever for children—it’s their primary way to communicate. Play fosters fun, creativity, and laughter, which in turn help children calm down. Therefore, it was clear I needed to change my approach: reduce the ‘orders’ and introduce strategies full of fun, creativity, and connection.
These activities aim to ease bedtime tension and decrease a child’s anxiety:
Since I understand how tired and possibly uncreative you feel by evening, here’s a list of bedtime routine activities to help you wind down with your child:
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1. Have everyone choose each other’s pajamas, and change together.
2. Host a family tooth-brushing party with music and dancing.
3. Share five reasons why you cherish your child.
4. Create a bedtime story involving family members and have your child guess who’s who.
5. Use the wheelbarrow method (hold your child’s ankles while they walk around on their hands).
6. Play “Simon Says” to guide the bedtime routine.
7. Introduce a “sing-only” communication rule.
8. Read bedtime stories using funny voices.
9. Invent knock-knock jokes together.
10. Communicate using gestures and hand signals only.
11. Select the wackiest pajamas in the closet.
12. Try having the most serious bedtime ever—no laughs allowed.
13. Engage in a Bedtime Adventure Challenge using suggested book tools.
14. Walk everywhere backward.
15. Attempt to put on your child’s pajamas while they play deadweight.
16. Have everyone swap roles and mimic each other (think Parent Trap).
17. Challenge each other to fit as many stuffed animals as possible in bed.
18. Choose an animal to imitate during the bedtime routine.
19. Pretend to be a historical figure as you get ready for bed.
20. Film a playful ‘YouTube’ tutorial on an epic bedtime routine.
*Related Read: Anger Management for Kids: A Therapist’s No-Fail Guide to Calm*
21. Listen to each other’s favorite songs together.
22. Brush each other’s teeth.
23. Race to complete the bedtime routine first—parent or child.
24. Plan breakfast for the next morning.
25. Host a shadow puppet show.
26. Try a guided meditation using apps like Breathe Kids.
27. Explore fun yoga poses with helpful guides.
28. Use calming essential oils like lavender.
29. Write poems together.
30. Role-play through a team sport while getting dressed and brushing teeth.
31. Journal side by side.
32. Work on a puzzle together.
33. Play a board game.
34. Engage in a collaborative LEGO project.
35. Co-write a song.
36. Share roses and thorns of the day.
37. Pray together.
38. List things you’re grateful for.
39. Share a bedtime snack.
40. Rock your child gently like a baby, singing a lullaby.
41. Color in a calming coloring book.
45. Have a mini tea-time.
46. Practice a calming body scan exercise together.
47. Learn finger knitting with pretty yarn.
48. Enjoy an audiobook via the public library.
49. Give each other gentle massages.
50. Style one another’s hair.
51. Lay out outfits for the next day.
52. Put glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling and make wishes.
53. Exchange cherished memories.
54. Discuss every feeling experienced today.
55. Create a human taco or burrito with cozy blankets.
56. Share an embarrassing childhood story.
57. Flip through a family photo album together.
58. Guide a stuffed animal through its bedtime routine.
59. Tell bedtime stories in a circle using a flashlight.
60. Share family history with your child.
By responding to your child’s needs for connection and play during bedtime with these ideas, you foster a peaceful and loving conclusion to the day. Imagine putting a content child to bed just in time to catch your favorite show? Now, that’s a win-win bedtime scenario!
**Related Read: 125 Positive Affirmations for Kids to Boost Strength, Confidence, and Self-Love**
This post comes with a free printable containing calming strategies to simplify your nighttime routine!
Catch a glimpse of it…
Originally published in January 2018, and recently updated.
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### About Angela Pruess, LMFT
Hi there! I’m Angela, a Licensed Children’s Mental Health Professional, Positive Parenting Coach, and mom to spirited kids who keep me learning (and greying) daily. I believe every child deserves to live their best life and that emotional health unlocks lifelong success and happiness. Tune into my insights and join the Parents with Confidence community!
