Cattaraugus-Little Valley Central School District

Quiet time can help you recharge and regain a sense of peace that is critical to healthy living. One way to be sure you have this time is to establish a routine with your family and all take part in quite time together. This will help reduce interruptions and distraction and allow everyone time to de-stress from the problems of daily life.

First things first, create guidelines. Setting up some rules can help both children and adults schedule quality quiet time. Below are some suggestions for rules that will help your quiet time go smoothly.

• Choose time to have everyone take a break. 
• Make sure everyone is home for the scheduled time.
• Suggest that quiet time be used for relaxing, reading, napping, writing, or drawing.
• Let each person find his or her own quiet activity.
• Encourage this to be solo quiet time, meant for the individual to reflect and take time for him or herself.
• Establish that all computers, TVs, radios, video games, telephones, faxes, electronic or battery-operated toys or games are turned off.
• If interaction is needed, only allow whispering.

Making Quiet Time a Daily Routine

Some people meditate, practice yoga, take a walk outside, or engage in another quiet activity to help them get through the day. For your family, it should be no different; quiet time should be an experience that helps lower the stress levels of kids and adults alike. 

An ideal quiet time routine for families is one that includes quiet time everyday. Start with a few days a week at first, and then try to make quiet time an everyday occurrence. Here are some ideas to help bring more quiet time into your family’s life:

• What needs to get done in your house every day? Write these things down and the time that they happen, such as chores, waking up, meals, sports practice, etc.
• Now see where quiet time can fit in. Maybe there’s a time after dinner when everyone is home. Plan quiet time for this timeslot every day.
• If the routine is set off balance by unexpected visitors or important appointments, try to set aside an extra chunk of quiet time per week, just in case your family misses some of their quiet time during the week.