Activity to help your child wind down before bed

This activity works well with any age. It helps your child review – and let go of – the day. Try it in the hour before bed, as an alternative to phone, TV or computer time.

1. Ask them to review what went well today. This could be remembering kind words, a moment of joy, or how they helped someone else. The focus might also be on smaller things, like getting up on time or tidying up after themselves. Ask them to write these down, and think about how it makes them feel.
2. If they’re worried about anything, ask them to note this down too. Get them to consider what they might do about the worries they can act on, and see if they can let the others go.
3. Suggest they write a “to do” list for the next day to organise their thoughts.
4. Encourage your child to say to themselves: “I don’t need to worry about that now – I can let it go”. You might want to help them set aside 10-15 minutes of ‘worry time’ each day. Outside this time, help them build a habit of trying not dwelling on things they can’t change.
5. After they’ve let their worry go, suggest they read a book or listen to the radio. This helps gently relax the mind.