Sleepy Hearts...
This is an idea I’ve used before with my own children. I first used it some years ago with my eldest son who used to get very upset at the idea of being away from me when he started Reception class at school. I found when he began taking the heart to school with him (he took one and I kept the other with me) that it had such a positive effect on him. I’ve also used the hearts to help reduce bedtime worries – by helping my children feel more connected to me.
These hearts can be used in a number of ways to reduce bedtime worries for your little one, including:
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You could just use two hearts – one for your child and one for you. You swap the hearts with each other before bedtime- telling your child that when they have this heart with them it means “that all of mommy/daddy’s love is right here with them all night”. (You could always let your child personalise their heart (i.e. put stickers on) so you know which heart belongs to who).
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If you think your child would get comfort and security from knowing you check on them through the night – then you could leave a heart on the floor or under their pillow every time you pop in to check on them through the night. And when they wake up in the morning they will love counting the number of hearts that have been left for them.
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You could use the hearts in conjunction with a reward chart – they could be given a heart every night they sleep in their own bed/room, or every time they go to sleep independently (whatever the goal is that you want to achieve). They could put them in a reward jar, or you could stick them on a reward chart. There could then be a reward/gift/treat/trip once they have collected all the hearts.