Sleeping is a requirement for all parents while their children are babies, but did you know that continued napping helps children learn? While some children stop napping at the age of three, others who continue to snooze throughout their preschool years tend to perform better. Studies demonstrate that toddlers benefit from regular napping, as you will discover in this article.

Positive Attitudes Increased

A change in a child’s attitude is often one of the first signals that he or she is fatigued. Grumpy Children are frequently weary children. Furthermore, when children are sleepy, they struggle. Educators will verify that these children have difficulty focusing and comprehending new knowledge. Children with positive attitudes, on the other hand, are much more likely to try new things and gain new abilities.

Improved Memory Retention

Several studies have found that napping regularly improves memory retention. According to one study conducted by the University of Arizona, preschoolers who napped regularly performed better in language development. Those who napped, for example, learned new words and comprehended their meanings. In addition, researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst investigated the effects of napping on preschoolers by having them play the game Memory. They discovered that “skipping the nap resulted in a 10% decline in the kids’ accuracy in the memory-based game.”

Improve Your Stress-Response Capacity

Napping regularly might also help children cope with stress. The cortisol waking response is induced by napping, according to sleep research conducted by the University of Colorado at Boulder. “They showed that toddlers create this reaction after brief naps in the morning and afternoon, but not in the evening,” adds Perri Klass, M.D., “and it may be adaptive in helping youngsters adjust to the pressures of the day.”

Improved Cognitive Performance

Adult studies have established that sleep is vital for improving cognitive performance, and the same is true for children. Our brains process memories while we sleep. In addition, folks who do not get enough sleep have difficulty with other cognitive tasks. “Concentration, working memory, arithmetic capacity, and logical thinking are all areas of cognitive performance affected by sleep loss,” according to the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School.

While it is obvious that regular sleeping helps children learn, it may be difficult to encourage your child to continue resting once he or she has given up naptime. What matters most is the overall amount of sleep your child receives in 24 hours; hence, if your preschooler sleeps 10 – 12 hours at night, you should not be concerned.