Feet Go to Sleep

Feet Go To Sleep written by Barbara Bottner and illustrated by Maggie Smith (2015)

Fiona is too wound up to go to sleep. She’s had a busy fun-filled day at the beach and it’s so hard to go to sleep even though she’s tired. So Fiona and her mother start at the tips of her toes and move up to her head remembering all the fun she had that day and telling each body part to go to sleep. When she finally reaches her head, the rest of her body is calm and ready for sleep. Now eyes close, mouth yawns, ears ignore her aunts and uncles talking outside, and her mind goes to sleep.

I love the simplicity of this story. Fiona remembers how each part of her body enjoyed the day and puts herself to sleep bit by bit. It’s a clever idea that children (and parents) will love trying for themselves at the end of a long day.

Sleep tight, sleepyhead!

Be sure to have a bedtime routine that signals your child’s body that it’s time to start relaxing and fall asleep. If you do things in the same order every evening, your child’s mind and body will prepare itself for sleep even if your child is fighting it outwardly. You don’t need a chart, but this is a cute one if you’re interested. Add or subtract things appropriate to your child’s age.

Another relaxing activity is Bedtime Yoga.