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Do you have a kid that struggles to fall asleep? Or does your child often wake up in the middle of the night? By helping your children develop healthy sleep habits, they will get better rest, be more attentive during the day, and feel God’s presence around them in a deeper way.
Why Kids Need Healthy Sleep Habits
Creating healthy sleep habits benefits your child’s health and well-being immensely. Through the grace of consistent bedtime rituals, your children will find rest in the arms of peaceful dreams, cradled in the embrace of God’s loving care. Here are helpful tips and strategies to promote peaceful sleep in your family. We hope you’ll be encouraged to create a routine of healthy habits.
7 Tips to Start Healthy Sleep Habits for Your Kids
1. Entrust the Night to God
Begin by framing sleep in the light of faith. Teach your children that nighttime is not a time for fear but a period we entrust to God. Psalm 4:8 says, “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety.” Share this promise with your children, letting them know that God watches over them as they sleep, and they can rest securely in His care.
2. Establish a Peaceful Bedtime Routine
Routines provide the scaffolding for life, especially for children. Establishing a peaceful bedtime routine prepares the soil of their hearts to receive the rest God intends for them. Turn off screens and wind down with calming activities like reading Bible stories together, listening to an Abide kids sleep story, spending time in prayer, or listening to worship music. These healthy sleep habits signal to children’s bodies that it’s time to rest and fill their minds with peace and their hearts with the comfort of knowing they are loved by you and by God.
3. Create a Sanctuary for Sleep
Just as your children’s hearts need to be prepared for rest, so do their environments. Creating a sleep-friendly bedroom helps. This sanctuary should be cool, quiet, and dark, free from the distractions and stimulation of screens and electronics. Encourage your children to see their bedroom as a special place for rest, a gift from God where they can recharge and dream under His watchful eye.
4. Embrace the Rhythms of Creation
God designed the world with rhythms and seasons, a time for every purpose under heaven (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Teach your children to embrace these natural rhythms by maintaining consistent sleep and wake times, even on weekends. Just as the sun rises and sets at appointed times, setting a regular bedtime and wake-up time helps align their bodies’ internal clocks to God’s natural design, promoting healthier sleep patterns.
5. Feed the Body, Nourish the Soul
Remember, the body and spirit are interconnected, and what you put into your body can affect your sleep. A light, nutritious snack before bed can help stave off hunger through the night, but avoid heavy, rich foods or stimulants like caffeine and sugar. In the same way, nourishing your children’s spirits with prayer and thanksgiving before bed can calm anxious thoughts and foster a peaceful night’s sleep.
6. Lead by Example
Your children watch you more closely than you realize, learning how to navigate life from your actions. Model healthy sleep habits yourself, showing them the importance of rest, not just through your words but through your lifestyle. Let them see you prioritizing sleep, praying to God at the end of the day, and entrusting your cares to Him as you lie down to rest.
7. Pray Over Them
Finally, as your children close their eyes to sleep, lay a hand on them and pray over them. Ask God to fill their night with peace, to guard their dreams, and to let His presence be a comforting blanket around them. There is power in prayer, and there is no greater gift you can give your children than to cover them in prayers of protection and peace as they sleep.
By nurturing these sleep habits, you do more than ensure your children get enough rest. You teach them to rely on God, to find rest in His presence, and to live according to the rhythms He has set in creation. You equip them with practices that will sustain not just their physical bodies but also their hearts and spirits.
As Christian parents, your role is not just to raise healthy and strong children but to shepherd their hearts toward God, teaching them to seek Him in all things, including their rest. In doing so, you help them find true rest that comes from trusting in God’s care and provision. As Jesus promises in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”
Listen to this short segment from one of Abide’s most popular series of kids sleep stories, written especially for young children. Kids love stories, and learning biblical truths while they’re falling asleep will help them be calm and peaceful through the night.
When you lead your children gently to the arms of Jesus, they can lay down their heads and hearts in peace, secure in the knowledge that they are deeply loved, watched over, and held safe in the hands of their Creator.
For more help to stress less and sleep better, check out the Abide app, where our 400+ Bible-based sleep stories—including more than 80 designed for kids, like the one above—all exist to help you experience the peace of Christ and get better rest. Use this link for 25% off a premium subscription, giving you access to all our sleep stories plus much more.
