Family Engagement Fridays Podcast by ELV
Aug 21, 2026 · 25 min · 10 segments
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of *Family Engagement Fridays*, we welcome **Sierra Boone**, host and executive producer of *The Nap Time Show*…
Sierra BooneGuest
Jennifer Garcia RosendoHostCan you talk about why rest is so important for young children's growth, learning, emotional regulation, and overall well-being?
So rest really is the foundation for being able to regulate and work through emotions, especially for big emotions and little bodies.
When we are experiencing a new emotion or something, it's very easy to kind of just like frazzle out.
I always like do this as a way to like visualize like what the nervous system might look like in that moment.
And so if you're not able to rest, then you're really just gonna be reacting instead of responding.
And so being able to rest allows you to kind of come back to center, actually get back in touch with yourself in a meaningful way, and then respond thoughtfully.
And so especially for children, we know that, what, 90% of their development happens by the time they're four years old.
And so when they're encountering feeling anxious for the first time or feeling nervous for the first time or feeling afraid for the first time that can be a lot for a little body um developing mind and so having rest gives their brains the the fuel and the power that it needs to be able to work through those things um in community with their grown-ups and then eventually um in the ways that self-regulation is important especially if we're talking about child care and early learning environments
I mean, we also know what happens when adults need a little bit of rest as well.
What are some common misunderstandings about rest? And what would you say to families who struggle with naps, quiet time, or bedtime routines?
Yeah, I would say the top misconception I hear a lot is that people tend to conflate rest with sleep.
And it's like rest can include sleep, but rest is so much bigger than just sleep or just taking naps.
And so I'm never going to advocate against taking a good nap because that is a key part of being real rested.
But sometimes rest is just like sitting and listening to delta waves or slow, calm, soothing music.
You know, we have seen so much more research and data surface about how coloring books support mental well-being and a sense of rest.
And so I always challenge people to kind of go outside of the box when it comes to what they think rest has to be versus what rest actually can be, because I think it just is a little bit more liberating as well.
Can you talk about why rest is so important for young children's growth, learning, emotional regulation, and overall well-being?
So rest really is the foundation for being able to regulate and work through emotions, especially for big emotions and little bodies.
When we are experiencing a new emotion or something, it's very easy to kind of just like frazzle out.
I always like do this as a way to like visualize like what the nervous system might look like in that moment.
And so if you're not able to rest, then you're really just gonna be reacting instead of responding.
And so being able to rest allows you to kind of come back to center, actually get back in touch with yourself in a meaningful way, and then respond thoughtfully.
And so especially for children, we know that, what, 90% of their development happens by the time they're four years old.
And so when they're encountering feeling anxious for the first time or feeling nervous for the first time or feeling afraid for the first time that can be a lot for a little body um developing mind and so having rest gives their brains the the fuel and the power that it needs to be able to work through those things um in community with their grown-ups and then eventually um in the ways that self-regulation is important especially if we're talking about child care and early learning environments
I mean, we also know what happens when adults need a little bit of rest as well.
What are some common misunderstandings about rest? And what would you say to families who struggle with naps, quiet time, or bedtime routines?
Yeah, I would say the top misconception I hear a lot is that people tend to conflate rest with sleep.
And it's like rest can include sleep, but rest is so much bigger than just sleep or just taking naps.
And so I'm never going to advocate against taking a good nap because that is a key part of being real rested.
But sometimes rest is just like sitting and listening to delta waves or slow, calm, soothing music.
You know, we have seen so much more research and data surface about how coloring books support mental well-being and a sense of rest.
And so I always challenge people to kind of go outside of the box when it comes to what they think rest has to be versus what rest actually can be, because I think it just is a little bit more liberating as well.
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