That last hour before bed can be peculiar.

Your child has spent the afternoon announcing that they are exhausted.

Bedtime approaches.

And suddenly they possess the energy of a startled squirrel.

If you're trying to create a gentler transition into bedtime, quiet screen-free activities can provide a useful bridge between the busy part of the day and sleep.

NHS children's sleep guidance recommends reducing electronic screens before bedtime and replacing stimulating activities with quieter ones such as reading or colouring. [1][2]

But 'quiet activity' doesn't have to mean sitting silently awaiting sleep.

Here are nine slightly more interesting possibilities.

1. Draw the tiniest picture you can

Forget producing a masterpiece.

Give your child a small square of paper and ask them to draw something tiny: a beetle, a mushroom, a house for a mouse, a dragon's egg, a mysterious door.

There is something naturally absorbing about working on a very small scale - and afterwards you have a miniature picture to keep.

2. Take a window nature minute

Look outside together for just one minute.

What is the sky doing? Can you see the moon? Are there clouds? Are any birds still about? Can you see a star?

Nature doesn't disappear because we've gone indoors. Noticing the outside world becoming quieter can become a lovely signal that your own day is winding down too.

3. Read - but let your child choose

A bedtime story doesn't always have to be a designated 'bedtime book'.

Let your child choose what they genuinely want to hear. Funny books count. Adventure counts. Non-fiction counts. A book about frogs absolutely counts.

The calming part is often less about what you're reading and more about the familiar experience of stopping everything else and sharing a story together.

4. Invent one creature

This is a favourite Glowfen sort of game.

Take turns choosing one characteristic. You choose where it lives. Your child chooses its size. You choose what it eats. They choose one extremely inconvenient habit.

Within a few minutes you may discover that the Mossy Night-Wump lives underneath bridges, is approximately the size of a teapot and becomes terribly offended by Thursdays.

Congratulations. You've discovered a new species.

5. Make tomorrow's tiny plan

Some children have remarkably busy minds at bedtime.

Instead of trying to stop tomorrow appearing in their thoughts, give tomorrow two minutes of official attention.

Ask: What's one thing you need to remember tomorrow? And what's one thing you're looking forward to?

Write them down if your child likes. Tomorrow has now been dealt with. It can wait until morning.

6. Colour something slowly

Colouring is beautifully uncomplicated.

There is no plot to follow, no score to beat and no requirement to finish.

Choose a small picture rather than an enormous colouring project and sit together for ten minutes.

And yes, adults are allowed to colour too. We checked.*

*We did not check.

7. Make a three-object story

Choose three ordinary objects from the room. Perhaps: a sock, a pencil, a teddy.

Now invent a very short story containing all three.

It can be ridiculous. In fact, ridiculous is encouraged.

Keeping the story short is part of the game - and prevents your supposedly calming activity becoming an unexpected 14-volume fantasy epic at 9:47pm.

8. Try three slow breaths

There is no need to make this complicated.

Imagine smelling something lovely - perhaps warm vanilla, cake, flowers or hot chocolate.

Breathe in slowly. Pause comfortably. Then blow the breath out as though you're gently moving a feather.

Repeat a few times if it feels nice.

If breathing exercises make your child irritated rather than relaxed, abandon them cheerfully and choose something else. Different children unwind in different ways.

9. Create a 'goodnight to the day' ritual

Choose three things from the day to say goodnight to.

Goodnight football practice. Goodnight Grandma's cake. Goodnight enormous puddle I stepped in.

They don't have to be things your child is grateful for. They are simply things that happened.

Then the day is finished. Tomorrow gets its own turn.

Bedtime doesn't have to become another activity schedule

You certainly don't need to do all nine of these.

Please don't. You'll be awake until Thursday.

Pick one your child likes and use it occasionally - or allow one to become part of your usual bedtime rhythm.

The aim isn't to manufacture perfect sleep. It's simply to make the journey from busy → quieter → bedtime feel a little less abrupt.

And if your child would rather read about frogs every night? Frogs it is.

More gentle adventures from Glowfen

Glowfen is a world of stories, nature, imagination and small things worth noticing - created for children who sometimes need a quieter place for their minds to wander.

You can join the Glowfen Post for occasional stories, printable treasures, behind-the-scenes peeks through the Green Door and new adventures from Glowfen.

No daily emails.

Percy has requested them.

His application has been denied.

References

[1] NHS - Sleep and young children - https://www.nhs.uk/baby/health/sleep-and-young-children/ — Wind-down routine, screen guidance, reading and bedtime consistency.

[2] Bedfordshire & Luton Children's Health - Sleep routines for toddlers and children - https://www.bedslutonchildrenshealth.nhs.uk/sleep/healthy-sleep-routines/sleep-routines-for-toddlers-and-children/ — Quiet offline activities such as reading, Lego or colouring and switching off electronics before bed.

[3] Healthier Together - Healthy Sleep (ages 5-12) - https://www.healthiertogether.nhs.uk/child-under-12-years/healthy-sleep — Calm bedtime routines, stories and screens.