“Sleep is a biological state present in animals and human beings that is defined by behavioral and physiological characteristics” (Bernardo, 2018, p.9). In the first years of life, in relation to the first cycle of Infant Education, sleep corresponds to a biological need that allows infants to develop on a cognitive (mental processes), physical (metabolism) and emotional level.
Below, we highlight some of the main ideas that Garcia (2015) has taken up:
- Firstly, although the sleep state apparently has a passive role, it has great relevance at a functional level in the organism, both in mental and physical processes.
- Secondly, it allows them to recover energy for the activities they carry out in the second part of the morning.
As indicated by Garcia (2015), the school must follow guidelines to make this moment possible:
- Firstly, since it is an activity that is carried out in the school environment on a daily basis, it needs to be organized temporarily within the school day. Therefore, a certain amount of time is dedicated to the development of this moment in the classroom. However, the moment of sleep depends on the needs of each child, so you must be flexible with it. In case the children have very different needs, a common time interval will be set during which the children will sleep what they need.
- Secondly, in order for the child to have an adequate moment of sleep, we must take into account the spatial organization of the context in which the sleep will take place. It will have to be a comfortable place, where there is no noise, excess light, or distractions (computer sounds, toys with sound on…). It must be a space with windows that facilitates the process of ventilation and natural lighting, as well as having a pleasant temperature. In addition, it must meet safety conditions (decorated with few furniture, avoid plugs within reach of children …). In this way, it seeks to provide optimal moments of rest.
- Thirdly, the school must have the furniture (cradles for children of months of age and sleeping pads for children of three years) necessary for the moment of sleep, varying the place and resources according to the age.
- Finally, the importance of teachers in the moments of rest will be highlighted. To anticipate the moment, the teacher will play relaxing music, lower the blind to diminish the natural light, and try to reduce the appearance of stimuli. Depending on the age, the children will be accompanied more or less time.
References
Bernardo, M. (2018). Aprendiendo a dominar el sueño en Educación Infantil (trabajo de fin de grado). Facultad de Educación de Segovia, Castilla y León, España. Recuperado de: https://uvadoc.uva.es/bitstream/handle/10324/30477/TFG-B%201110.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
García, M.D. (2015). Importancia del hábito del sueño en la etapa de Educación Infantil. Innovación y experiencias educativa, 63, pp: 1-13. Recuperado de: https://archivos.csif.es/archivos/andalucia/ensenanza/revistas/iee/Numero_63/M-DOLORES-GARCIA-RUIZ-03.pdf
Authorship
Lorea Aranguren Márquez y Fran González González, 2020.