Getting young campers to sleep

[powers]

I've (been) volunteered to help out at a beaver sleepover next week for boys aged 5-7, and as this group is well out of my experience I would greatly appreciate any tips on getting this age group to go to sleep, especially as many have never spent the night away from home before.

So how do you get younger campers to sleep when they are excited?

thank you! powers

[prettysocks]

Our unwritten bedtime routine for everyone at our camp (ages 7-18):

Get back from night activities.
Wash face, brush teeth.
Go to the bathroom.
Get in bed, bet PJ's on.
Do journals.
Read or listen to music (headphones).

At my camp (special needs) all that takes no more than 45 minutes to ge 8 kids ready for bed. Most kids are used to something like reading or being read to before they fall asleep. We had a few counselors trying to get the last laugh before the kids fell asleep, but joking around just gets them all hyped up again.

Good luck and have fun!

[Thecoolestperson]

I found the best thing to do is get a really boring book and read every nite to them and within 20 mins they will be fast asleep or wat you can do is during the day keep them playing and only chill out on rest time and by the end of the day they will be telling you its time for bed last yr my kids never chilled out they were always doing something

[KiwiCRB]

Don't be discouraged by the first night if it goes bad. It's usually the shortest and they're all still hyped up from just being there so I always have lots of "tummy aches" and homesickness. But after a full day of activities when they're that young and a lot of them still used to having a good nap in the afternoon they'll climb into bed and be out. That being said I always read them a story like "If You Give a Moose a Muffin." When they are in bed go around and offer them a Hug, Handshake, or Pillowfluff. That way you can give them each a little individual attention right before bed and they get to choose if the are comfortable enough to give you a hug or not. My girls, even the older ones, LOVED that last year.

[annknee]

Im presuming its a one night thing as it is with the Guide and Rainbow sleepovers. When we run these we let them stay up! Youve only got them for one night so it doesnt matter how tired they are cos youre sending them home, plus they enjoy themselves more if they think theyre running th ething. When one ormore people decide they want to go to sleep, which in my experience happens as a general group decision, I sit on a chair in the room until they all going to sleep and tell people to be quiet or stay still if they talk/move!! That sounds really awful, but I run week long events very different, I just think that they are there to have fun and by letting them stay up late and make the decision about when to go to sleep you are making it memorable for them. Generally they have nothing to do the following day soif theyre tired its not too much of a big deal. The technique seems to work- I am constantly inundated with requests for more sleepovers!

[camper]

i could use some tips on this topic! being that i will be working w/the youngest kids at camp this summer i will need to be prepared for anything at night haha. my older kids were always so easy, they were used to camp even on the first night and although they'd be hyped up, they pretty much ran themselves and eventually went to bed. this summer i anticipate quite a difference!

[annknee]

This may seem a pretty straightforward and obvious thing, but I know so many people who make this mistake. A nice gentle activity before bed to calm them down- so many people I know want to do an active thing to tire them out, but it really just gets them hyper!

[Belay06]

i usually work with bugs which is the youngest group in camp. I find that getting them to go to sleep is the easy part; dealing with homesickness and having to go to the bathroom from 1-4am is the hard part. I found that telling them before bedtime that you're there and that if they wake up they can come to you its easier for them. Yes, you will get woken up but its a lot better than a kid sitting there all night afraid and feeling lonely. If you do get awakened see what they want, don't act mad and speak really slowly and calmly. Usually they're crying, so being calm helps out a lot. If they're homesick offer to read them a story, or just sit and talk for a little bit. Talking is really good for them. If they wake you up because they have to go the bathroom, tell them to get a buddy and go. I have a rule that the first person you ask has to go or else the whole cabin will be up.

[powers]

Thanks everyone for the advice! It is only a one night event so the kids are going to be really excited, i'm not anticipating much sleep! Annknee- you're right, I don't want to ruin everyone's evening by making them sleep and we don't have anything exciting planned for the next day. I'm excited now!

[annknee]

Have fun, I hope we helped!

[collissimon]

Have a great time!

When it's for camp, I agree with the others that a strong routine is paramount. We have snack/meds, then clean teeth, flexible free time, then lights out and storytime.

I think with the evening activities, they can be exciting/active, as long as you can bring them down with a strong routine afterwards, otherwise it's havoc!

Same with the story really, I'm very passionate about the kids having a bedtime story, and it not being something boring but is something the kids engage with and get excited about (as you can probably guess from my snippet a couple of months back :D). I think the key with stories is to tell the kids in advance when you're finishing i.e. you let them know how long till you finish. That way, they can prepare themselves for the end of the book, and usually start dropping off.

Tell us how you get on powers :D