That’s a lot going on! Why children need rest after daycare and school.

Especially after a long day, children often don't need even more activities—they just need a little break to wind down. This blog post is about small rituals that can help with that.
copyright HMC; Fotografin Simone Maiwald; Bestandteil (Rucksack) integriert mit KI

"I am not tired at all!"

…and five minutes later, there’s a fight over the wrong sock, the stuffed animal gets tossed around, and suddenly everything’s a mess. Sound familiar?

Especially after daycare, school, or an exciting afternoon, kids sometimes seem anything but tired. They’re hyper, whiny, or easily irritated. But that might actually be a sign that their day was just pretty packed.

A Day Full of New Experiences

For children, every day brings a lot to discover and process: new tasks, conversations, and conflicts with other children; caregivers; rules; noises; physical activity; successes; and, along the way, countless new experiences.

What looks like a perfectly normal day at daycare or school to us can be quite exhausting for a child. Especially in the first few weeks after summer break, many children have to get used to new routines, groups, teachers, and expectations all over again.

As a result, it can happen that their energy is suddenly depleted by the afternoon—even if the child themselves doesn’t want to admit it yet.

Not more activities, but a short break

So when children come home, the next activity doesn’t have to start right away. Sometimes the exact opposite is helpful: a little less stimulation and more time to wind down. Allowing them to arrive at their “safe haven.”

  • This can take many different forms:
  • cuddling or sharing stories together
  • taking a walk outside
  • painting, building, or just playing on their own
  • preparing a small snack together
  • looking at a book or having a story read aloud
  • listening to music or a story

Parents don’t have to organize much at all. Often, it’s the small, familiar rituals that help children find their calm again.

copyright HMC; Fotograf Marcus Meyer; Bestandteil (Obstkorb) integriert mit KI.

Small rituals provide a sense of security

A recurring routine can be comforting, especially during turbulent times. Maybe for you, it’s eating fruit together after daycare. Maybe ten minutes of cuddling on the sofa. Or a story that’s part of every day.

These little pockets of calm in everyday life don’t have to last long or be particularly creative. What matters most is that they’re familiar and signal to the child: “It’s time for a break now.”

Listening time can also become a ritual like this. A favorite story, music, or a radio play invites your child to simply listen without having to look at a screen at the same time. While listening, your child can cuddle, draw, build something, or just close their eyes.

Listening Time to Wind Down—5 Great Audio Recommendations for Kids

Of course, you can also just listen to your favorite playlist of music or stories. Audio devices for kids that offer screen-free access without commercials are, of course, ideal for this.

The hörbert audio box, for example, is particularly well-suited for this, as it can be operated using nine colorful playlist buttons. You can assign a custom playlist of favorite music or audiobooks to each button. You can also save web radio stations and podcasts to it. With hörbert, podcasts can even update overnight if new episodes are available.

For those who’d like a little more audio input to help them relax:

Tip 1 – “Ohrenflausen” Memory Card Edition (German and English for hörbert)

On the Yellow Playlist: Forest, Underwater, and Machine soundscapes.

The composition of electronic and natural sounds, as well as acoustic music, acts like a protective tent and can soothe and relax (promoting a trance-like state), or it can also enhance concentration and stimulate perception, thereby enabling clear thinking.

Tip 2 – “Kita&Co” Memory Card Edition (German and English for hörbert)

On the dark green playlist: Stories for relaxation and guided imagery from the series “The 30 Best…”

Tip 3 – “Stay Relaxed!” – Meditation Podcast for Kids
Kathi Klaudel’s podcast offers meditations, guided imagery, and bedtime stories and is aimed at children and families. There are now over 200 episodes.

Tip 4 – “Falling Asleep with the Universe” Family Podcast
“Falling Asleep with the Universe” combines fascinating facts about the universe with calm, unhurried stories—perfect for relaxing and falling asleep. From the myths of the starry sky to the discoveries of modern astronomy, the podcast takes you on a nighttime journey through space and time.

Tip 5 – Web Radio: Music Lake – Relaxation Music, Meditation, Focus, Chill, Nature
Gentle downtempo music, delicate synthesizer sounds, and intricately composed, cosmic chill-out ballads. A touch of nature sounds rounds out the experience.

We wish you a great start to the new daycare or school year!