Kindergarten Naps????

At my kids' school: yes, the Kindergarteners nap. In the afternoon. But only for the first half of the school year. It is nap or quiet time for the kids that do not fall asleep.
I don't see a problem with that.
Many of the kids, in Kindergarten, once they are in school all day they do get tired of "working" all day. And many will fall asleep.
My kids' teachers, in Kindergarten, are not dictators about it. Because, it is nap or quiet time. The kids understand. And it is a routine, everyday in school.

Or, after school, my son would be SO tired... and he'd nap once we came home.
My son is 5. He just finished his Kindergarten year.

At my kids' school, Kindergarten is full days, 5 days a week. Just like the older kids.

And even if my son is 5, he will nap when tired. No battles.

I know most kindergartens have a rest time after lunch. The kids are not required to sleep but rest. It helps them to recharge for the afternoon.

Here they have all day Kindergarten. They kids go from 7:45am to 2:45pm so they get a short nap. They are not required to sleep but they have to stay quiet.

My second child was in all day kinder. They had naptime on those little nap mats. Not all the kids actually slept, but they did at least lay there quietly and gave the kids who were all tuckered out a chance to sleep.

For kinders who travel long distances on the buses, it's a godsend. For kids who are younger kinders, or those who were used to naptime, it really helps. I think it's great for the teacher too, who has 20 plus kids under her charge.

This is one of the reasons I recommend that moms continue to have quiet time every afternoon, whether their kids still nap or not. That way, it's not as hard to get used to naptime during kinder.

First grade hits the ground running and there are no more naps until you hit retirement, LOL! So just get your child ready for the nap thing in advance.

Smiles!
Dawn

Not sure about other schools, but my son's kindergarten class "napped" for about 5 - 10 minutes. They would lie down with the lights out and listen to quiet music. I think it was used mainly to settle them down after recess so that they really could focus. His teacher said no one ever actually falls asleep.

I was also concerned about this at first. I was afraid my son would refuse and cause a problem. His teacher said most of the students are very well behaved the first few days and just do as the teacher asks. Everything is so new and exciting and they just go with the flow. Also, I think those first few days they are pretty tired.

My son's class did not take naps (he just completed kindergarten) I am sooo thankful for that! He gave up napping just after he turned 2 and is hyperactive to boot! Nap time at preschool was a nightmare and I'm so glad I no longer have to deal with the issue.

Full day kinder in our district has down time for about 30 minutes in the afternoon right after lunch/recess and before PE, music or art.

The children don't usually go to sleep, it is just a quiet time with some low key music playing in the background. Sometimes teachers will read to them during this time as well.

My son is going into a half day kinder, there would be no point in a nap in his program, however if they required naps I would laugh. I think by the time kids are in Kinder they no longer need a nap.

No naps here, full day kinder, but they have a 20 to 30 minute quiet time after lunch. Heads on the table while a story is read. The teacher says some children fall asleep and some don't.

Even in daycare the children that no longer nap may lay or sit on their mats and are quiet. They can look at books or play quietly. I think they need some quiet time mid day.

Most pre-school classes are still under state regulations, just like if they were in childcare and therefore are required to nap, or have a designated rest time.

In Oklahoma all children age 5 and under are required to have nap time. Some don't take naps but do lay quietly during this time so that the ones who do nap can sleep. They do not play or do anything that requires light since the rooms are usually darker during this time.

They only designate about an hour to this rest time so it's not for too long. But their bodies are growing and they do need the mental break.

Sometimes if a child is disruptive or just can't lay still they have the parents pick them up early every day. We had to do this with our grandson. He would get wound up and start bouncing around and hurting his friends. There was no way he could stay.

I think it depends on whether the kids are in full day or half day K. Full day requires a rest time in our state - they don't always sleep but they have quiet time to rest.

Most full day kindergartens have a "rest time". My daughter is 6 and just finished kindergarten (9am-3pm). At the beginning of the school year they all rested on their blanket/towel that they brought to school. Very few kids slept, but at the beginning of the year, they all needed the down time. Kindergarten is very academic now and it is a big transition for most kids. By the end of the year, they still had quiet time, but were allowed to look at books/read or color during this time... not talking. I don't think most kindergartens expect kids to sleep but usually have a rest time. Pre-k is still nursery school, and I assume some kids still fall asleep and need the rest. However, your daughter is only in school for 5 hours, so I would check and make sure rest time isn't more than 30-45 minutes... she can rest when she goes home, you shouldn't be paying for her to "nap" if she is only there for 5 hours... full day pre-school kids definately need the down time though.

I don't think the nap has to do with being needed so much as discipline/compliance.

My youngest is 11, they still napped in her kindergarten.

Every preschool and pre-K we've ever been involved with in either California or Maryland has had nap time. Kids who don't sleep are generally required to lay on their mats and do quiet activities after some designated amount of time to see if they will fall asleep. DS gave up his nap during the summers when I was home, but happily went back to it in the fall. I mean wouldn't YOU take an afternoon nap if you could? :)

Kindergarten, is an entirely different beast. Generally kindergarten does not have a nap anymore. It is either half day (gets out after lunch time) or full day with no nap. My son's kinder was full day. After lunch they had recess. After recess they had quiet reading time. At the beginning of the school year, a few kids DID drift off to sleep laying on the floor with their books, but it wasn't nap time.

my 4 year old son was in a kindercare center this year - 2 days when I worked.. they napped the kids for 2 hours in the afternoon.. my son does not nap at home.. and if he did nap at home we would let him sleep 30-45 minutes or he would be up all night. .. I thought a 2 hour nap for a 4 year old was excessive.. but ... my son said naptime was too long.. but he survived.

In kindergarten.. they have a 45 minute rest time.. in a class of 24 kids.. 9 kids slept every day. others kids slept some days -- many kids slept on mondays.. for public school ... I dont think you get a choice of opting out of naptime. (just like you cant opt out of gym class or recess..) all the kids lay down.. quietly .. ands some sleep.

for a private preschool that you are paying for.. you can have some say on whether your kid naps. Tell the director that your child does not need a nap.. and you dont want him to nap. However.. the schools want the kids to nap.. it is teacher break time.. many of the teachers at kindercare leave the center for a 2 hour lunch while all the kids are sleeping. (enough teachers stay to watch the kids sleep)

Some kids still nap and others don't.
While kids are napping, the ones who stay awake stay on their mats and quietly look at books so they do not disturb others.
My son napped through kindergarten (teachers were surprised how heavily he slept) and it was hard for him in 1st grade when they had no naps (he was so grouchy in the afternoons), but he still napped on weekends.
My son was having a major growth spurt in kindergarten.
He shot up 4 inches that year.
His teachers said he almost seemed taller in the afternoon after nap time - they said it was like watching him grow right in front of their eyes.

my daughter did niot nap in pre-k or K. She went full day for both from 7:30 to 5ish

Depends on the school.

My SD didn't nap in preschool or kindergarten, though they had a rest time. She just lay quietly for the duration. Annoying for her, but as long as she let other kids sleep, she was OK. I expect more of the same with DD, who doesn't nap regularly anymore, either. Like your DD, she sleeps well and long at night and nap time is just her staring at her ceiling or getting into stuff in her room. It can be "rest time" for your child, even if she doesn't sleep.

Kindergartens don't nap where I am, and I can not imagine asking a five year old to nap. I do remember 37 years ago when I was in Kindergarten we did have nap time, but I don't think anyone ever actually slept. We all just had to lie on a little mat for probably 15 minutes with the lights out. I'm not sure what the point was, maybe to calm us down. I had a friend whose 4 year old was forced to nap in daycare, so she had to find a new daycare.

For full day K at my son's school they had a nap time during the 1st quarter but it was more a quiet time. Only about 1/3 of the kids actually slept. The rest just had some down time. After the first quarter they just had quiet book time for 15 minutes.

prek usually still nap, my daughter who is 4 no longer takes naps and hasnt for awhile my soon to be 3yr old son hasnt napped since he turned 2! i wish they would but they dont lol they both sleep good hours at night though.

My daughter just finished full-day kindergarten and they had a 1/2 hour of rest time. They were not expected to sleep. The teachers usually put on some mellow music or a video and the kids brought in towels to rest on. I think the schools where I live are required to have rest time in kindergarten.

When my kids were in K, they went all day so there was a nap time. If the child did not want to nap, that was fine. However, they did have to lay quietly. I don't know what I would do if my currently 4 yr old had nap time in school when she goes. She has not napped since she was 18 months. And I don't think she would lay or sit quietly either. The girl is one huge bundle of energy.

I never napped when I was a toddler/preschool age either. I used to play while my mom napped. I went to public school and hated nap time. Kindergarten back then was 1/2 day. Couldn't wait for 12:00PM to come. Spend most my time watching the clock. The teacher made us put our heads down on our desks and would be so nasty. She would actually walk around the room peaking under our armpits to see who has their eyes closed and who doesn't. Of course my eye's weren't closed, because I was uncomfortable and not tired so I wound up standing in the corner for not having my eyes closed. She was a "waco," I don't think teachers are not as mentally abusive as my kindergarten teacher was so your daughter might be ok by just being quite and pretending to nap. You could teach her to visalize while she's supposed to be napping, like thinking about what it's like to be at the beach.

My son goes to catholic school. His kindergarten was full day. They began and ended school the same hours as the other primary grades. (8:00AM-2:30PM) No nap time, which was great for my son. He wasn't a napper either, but my MIL forced him to sleep. (What a pain in the neck.) A lot of people don't realize that most gifted kids don't nap, because their brain is too active.

the all day kindergartens close to here do a rest time. not a nap time. the kids have to sit quietly at their tables for 10 minutes or so. not an actual nap with pillow, mat etc.