"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
When children come home, the next activity doesn’t have to follow straight away. Sometimes exactly the opposite is helpful: a little less input and more time to wind down. Being allowed to arrive in the “safe haven”.
This can look quite different from case to case:
- cuddling or chatting together
- going for a walk outside
- drawing, building or simply playing away quietly
- watering the flowers or doing other small, familiar routine tasks
- preparing a little snack together
- looking at a book or reading aloud
- listening to music or to a story
Parents don’t have to organise much at all for this. It’s often the small, familiar rituals that help children settle down again.
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!