Quiet time
A bedtime drawing routine to wind down without screens
Ten minutes of calm drawing before lights out: draw the dream you’d like to have, then put the pencils away for the night.
- Time
- 10 minutes
- Ages
- 4 to 10
- You need
- Pencil, 1 page
How to run it
Screens off first
Swap the tablet for a pencil 30 minutes before bed.
Draw your dream
On the dream page, draw the dream you’d like to have tonight. Flying, a talking dog, a castle made of pancakes.
Say one sentence about it
Write or say one sentence: “In my dream I…”.
Pencils away, lights out
The drawing goes on the nightstand to look at in the morning.
Tip: Keep the dream drawings in a folder by the bed. Kids love reading back through them.
Keep it going: books for this plan
Each book page on FirstArtBooks shows what’s inside. The Amazon button shows the current price.
Trace then color · ages 3+Trace Then Color: Unicorn Animals
Dreamy magical animals. Ages 3+.
See it on Amazon
Step-by-step drawing · ages 5+How to Draw: Unicorn Animals
Unicorn animals step by step, for older kids.
See it on Amazon
Step-by-step drawing · ages 5+How to Draw: Sketchbook
A book of blank pages just for dream drawings.
See it on Amazon
Questions parents ask
Will drawing wake my kid up?
Calm drawing usually does the opposite. Avoid games and competitions at bedtime; keep it to one page.