guides

Bedtime Routine for Kids: A Simple Plan for Ages 3 to 8

By Chaz Bagri22 July 20258 min read

A man lies beside a small boy in bed, reading him a story from a pink book

A bedtime routine for kids aged 3 to 8: seven calm steps from screens off to lights out, what changes by age, and what to cut when you're running late.

A bedtime routine for kids is the same short run of calm steps, in the same order every night, ending with your child in bed and the lights off. UK guidance gives it two marks: screens off about an hour before sleep, and the winding-down steps starting about 30 minutes before. The order matters more than the contents.

If bedtime started at seven and it's now quarter to nine, with one more drink, a lost teddy and a question about sharks, you're not alone. This is a night routine for kids aged 3 to 8 with an end built in: seven steps, timed, what changes by age, and what to drop when you're late.

What is a good bedtime routine for kids?

A good bedtime routine is short, calm and predictable: screens off, quiet play, bath or wash, pyjamas, teeth and toilet, one story, then the same goodnight words. The NHS's page on sleep and young children advises a calming, predictable bedtime routine that happens at the same time and includes the same things every night.

A child who knows the story comes after teeth has less to negotiate, and negotiation is where quarter to nine comes from.

How long should a bedtime routine be, and when should it start?

About an hour from screens off to asleep, with the calm steps taking the last 30 to 45 minutes. The Sleep Charity's bedtime routines advice says the routine should ideally start an hour before your child goes to sleep. The NHS says to start winding down around 30 minutes before the time your child usually falls asleep.

Both are right: the hour is screens off and lights down, the half hour is the bath, pyjamas and story. Work backwards from the time your child needs to be asleep, using our guide to what time kids should go to bed, age by age. For why the screens go first, see how long before bed screens should go off.

The seven steps, from screens off to lights out

Here's an illustrative evening for a five-year-old who wakes at 7am and needs to be asleep by 8pm. That's 11 hours, inside the 10 to 12 hours the Sleep Charity gives as a general guide for children aged three to six. If your child needs to be asleep at 7.30pm, slide every step half an hour earlier. Don't change the order.

1. Screens off, lights down (7.00pm)

"Telly's going off now, it's bedtime soon." TV, tablet and phones off, and the main lights dimmed, which the Sleep Charity suggests for the hour before bed. Expect a protest for the first few nights.

2. Quiet play (7.00 to 7.20pm, 20 minutes)

"Jigsaw or colouring?" The Sleep Charity suggests hand-eye activities such as jigsaws and colouring. Offer two calm choices, not an open question.

3. Bath or wash (7.20 to 7.35pm, 15 minutes)

"Bath time, then pyjamas." A bath if it suits your child, otherwise a wash at the sink. Keep the water games slow.

4. Pyjamas, then two minutes on the floor (7.35 to 7.42pm, 7 minutes)

"Pyjamas on, then butterfly." Once they're in pyjamas, two minutes of slow floor poses: butterfly, star, happy baby, then lying on their back for five slow breaths. Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS children's health service advises avoiding exercise directly before bedtime, so keep it slow: no jumping and no backbends. If your child likes the pictures to follow, a full-length mat with the floor poses marked in means they can find butterfly themselves while you hang up the towels. The full slow sequence is in bedtime yoga for kids. New to it? See how to start yoga with your child.

5. Teeth and toilet (7.42 to 7.47pm, 5 minutes)

"Teeth, then a last wee." The NHS says to brush last thing at night before bed, for about 2 minutes, with fluoride toothpaste. For three to six year-olds, it suggests letting them brush while you supervise.

6. One story, in bed (7.47 to 7.57pm, 10 minutes)

"One story, then goodnight." The NHS suggests setting a limit on the time you spend at bedtime, for example reading only one story. When they ask for another, the answer is the same every night.

7. The same goodnight words, lights out (7.57 to 8.00pm, 3 minutes)

"Night night, I love you, time for sleep now." Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS suggests using the same bedtime phrase every night to show the routine is over. Then lights off, or a dim light if they need one, which the NHS says is fine.

That's 20 + 15 + 7 + 5 + 10 + 3 = 60 minutes, from screens off at 7pm to asleep at about 8pm.

Can you get a bedtime routine chart?

Yes, and the easiest bedtime routine chart is one you write together. The Sleep Charity suggests writing the routine down and putting it where everyone in the house can follow it, such as the fridge or a bedroom door. Copy the seven steps onto a sheet of paper:

Screens off, lights down
Quiet play
Bath or wash
Pyjamas and two minutes on the floor
Teeth and toilet
One story in bed
Goodnight words, lights out

For a child who can't read yet, draw a picture beside each step together.

How does a bedtime routine change from 3 to 8?

The seven steps stay the same. What changes is how much help your child needs, whether there's still a nap, and what fills the quiet-play slot.

Bedtime routine for a 3 year old (and 4)

The World Health Organization recommends 10 to 13 hours of good-quality sleep for 3 and 4 year-olds, which may include a nap, with regular sleep and wake-up times. If your child still naps, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS suggests keeping naps before 3pm, and the NHS says to avoid long naps in the afternoon. Use pictures on the chart. The Sleep Charity suggests younger children may enjoy a bedtime box of activities for the routine.

Bedtime routine for a 5 year old (and 6)

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS suggests that a large meal is eaten more than an hour before the bedtime routine starts, so on a 7pm start, tea goes before 6pm. Let your child tick off the chart themselves. That's our suggestion, not guidance: a five-year-old in charge of the list argues with it less.

At 7 and 8

The Sleep Charity gives 10 to 11 hours as a general guide for seven to 12 year-olds. Swap quiet play for a book, a board game or a craft, which the Sleep Charity suggests older children may prefer. Many will read to themselves in step 6. The NHS says children aged 7 and over should be able to brush their own teeth, but it's still a good idea to watch them.

What if you're running late?

Keep the order, the screens-off rule and the goodnight words, and shrink everything else. Say you're back from a birthday party at 7.40pm and the asleep-by time is still 8pm. Here's a 20-minute version:

Wash and pyjamas, 7 minutes. The bath goes first. The Sleep Charity's sample routine has the bath only "if this is appropriate".
Teeth and toilet, 5 minutes. This one never goes.
One short story, 6 minutes. The NHS limit is one story anyway.
Goodnight words, 2 minutes. The same words as every other night.

That's 7 + 5 + 6 + 2 = 20 minutes. Quiet play and the floor poses are dropped tonight. Lying still in bed for five slow breaths stands in for them. That last part is our judgement, not guidance.

What if they won't stay in bed?

Take them back, calmly, every time. The NHS says to keep taking your child back to bed with as little fuss as possible and to try to be consistent, and that you may have to repeat this for several nights.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS advises not getting drawn into conversations or arguments. That's most of how to get kids to bed without a fight. It also says a child may just need a reassuring cuddle before going back to bed.

Give a new routine time. The Sleep Charity warns that sleep can get worse before it gets better, and says to stick with a new routine for at least two weeks.

How do you make it stick?

Keep the wake-up time steady and the chart where everyone sees it. The Sleep Charity advises a set wake-up time each morning, weekends included, because it supports your child's body clock.

If you need to move bedtime earlier, the NHS suggests bringing the routine forward by 5 to 10 minutes each week until you reach the time you want.

If your child sleeps at a grandparent's on a Friday, the same seven steps work there too: copy the chart and use the same goodnight words.

A mat rolled up by the bed makes step 4 the one with no setting up. If a short floor wind-down suits your child, the poses are marked into a mat your child can follow on their own, at £34.99 with free UK delivery and 30-day returns. There's 10 per cent off two or more, so there can be one at the grandparents' too. For more presents that get used after the wrapping comes off, see our gift ideas that aren't another screen.

Who can help if bedtimes are still a battle?

Speak to someone if a steady routine hasn't helped after a few weeks, or if you're worried about your child's sleep. For under-5s, the NHS suggests talking to your health visitor, who may have other ideas or suggest a children's sleep clinic if there's one in your area. At any age, you can speak to your GP.

The National Sleep Helpline, listed on the Sleep Charity's site, is 03303 530 541. If your child has additional needs, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS has a page on sleep for additional needs, and the NHS points parents of disabled children to the charities Contact and Scope.

Frequently asked questions

How many stories should you read at bedtime?

One is plenty on a school night. The NHS suggests setting a limit on the time you spend with your child at bedtime, for example reading only one story, then tucking them in and saying goodnight. For a seven or eight-year-old who reads to themselves, a set number of pages does the same job. That last part is our suggestion.

What if my child says they're hungry at bedtime?

The NHS's sleep tips for under-5s suggest trying a bowl of cereal and milk before bed, then brushing their teeth afterwards. In the routine above, it fits in the quiet-play slot, before teeth. If it happens every night, try a bigger tea, eaten more than an hour before the routine starts.

Do you have to do a bath every night?

No. The Sleep Charity's own sample bedtime programme has the bath 'if this is appropriate', with massage or a mindfulness activity instead, and pyjamas warmed on the radiator if there's no bath. A wash at the sink does the same job in the routine: it tells your child the next step is bed.

Should the bedtime routine be the same at weekends?

Mostly, yes. The Sleep Charity advises doing the same thing at the same time each day, including a set wake-up time, and admits this is difficult at the weekend. A later night now and then is fine. Keeping the steps and the wake-up time steady is what holds it together.

Sources

Shop the mats →