The Importance of Sleep for Children

Any parent knows that plenty of sleep is essential for their child, but the specifics of how much and why can often vary.

Why is Sleep Important for Children?

Getting a good amount of sleep helps your child in their mental, physical, social, and emotional development. It is an essential part of growing up and learning, in much the same way as school or play.

How Many Hours Sleep do Children Need?

Unfortunately, there is no magic number to ensure your child rests well every night, and the needs of each child can vary. However, Great Ormond Street Hospital has provided a guide on how much sleep children in specific age categories should get per day, including naps:

• 4 – 12 Months: 12 – 16 hours
• 1 – 2 Years: 11 – 14 hours
• 3 – 5 Years: 10 – 13 hours
• 6 – 12 Years: 9 – 12 hours

How Bedtime Affects Children Learning

The amount of sleep your child gets can directly affect their learning, as sleep can help stimulate the analysis, understanding, and memorisation of new information.

Being well rested also helps improve their concentration, mood, and behaviour, which will help them learn from their experiences throughout the day, at home or at school.

Five Tips for Better Sleeping Patterns in Your Children

Every child has different needs when it comes to sleeping, and the tactics that work for one child may not be as effective for another. Try some of the following and see what works for you!

1. Time Without Screens – Also a common recommendation for adults, putting phones, tablets, and TV’s off and away a little while before bed can help reduce brain stimulation before it’s time to sleep.

2. Give Them a Bath – Running a bath to help them get ready for bed signals to your child that it’s time to wind down, and the warmth will often have a soothing effect on their emotions.

3. Start Building a Routine – Whether it’s brushing their teeth, getting changed into pyjamas, or running the bath, getting a child into the routine of falling asleep in the same place every day will support their sense of security.

4. Read Age-Appropriate Books – Reading before bed is an excellent tool to stimulate sleep and can also start winding down your child’s emotions and excitement. Relaxing bedtimes stories for children can be found anywhere, so try to find some that relate to your child’s interests.

5. Create a Meditative Atmosphere – There are lots of ways to employ children’s meditation for sleep, such as dimming the lights, playing quiet and relaxing music or white noise, and gently talking to them about soothing subjects. Also consider the colours of a child’s bedroom to ensure that they aren’t over stimulating.

6. Use neutral colours in bedrooms that aren’t over-stimulating; creams and pastel shades are helpful If possible use the same sleeping environment for the child. Getting into the routine of falling asleep in the same place each day will help them to feel more secure Always follow safe sleep practices. Details of the latest information and research is available from the Lullaby Trust

Example Bedtime Routines for 3-Year-Olds

Setting up a strict routine helps your child prepare for bed naturally every single night. By turning off their screens or running a bath at the same time, your child will know what to expect and start unconsciously calming down and preparing for sleep.

Let’s use a three-year old as an example. The recommended bedtime for a 3-year-old is about 19:30, so you may want to start running a bath at about 16:30. This will let them know bedtime is approaching and give them time to start winding down.

When the bath is ready, turn off their screens for the night, dim the lights, and consider playing some gentle music to help them relax. Once out of the bath, get them dressed into their pyjamas and make sure they brush their teeth.

Now they’re ready to be tucked into bed, consider reading them a children’s story appropriate and relevant to them, before letting them rest independently.

Get in Touch for More Information

We’re no strangers to effective childcare and parenting tips. We are a leading nursery chain operating in the Southwest of England and South of Wales, helping young children prepare for school with purpose-built facilities and a specialist curriculum of learning.

We like to support the development of the children in our care both when they’re at nursery, and when they’re at home.

Get in touch if you have any questions by calling 0800 783 3431 or emailing enquiries@happydaysnurseries.com, or use our Find a Nursery tool to see which of our nurseries or preschools is closest to you!

Fulfilling and Rewarding Work

If you’re thinking about a change in career and you like the idea of working with children, there is nothing more impactful and gratifying than childcare. Working in childcare offers a unique opportunity to directly impact young lives and contribute significantly to their development.

You get to help build and nurture important skills in young children, helping them develop into strong learners for school and independent adventurers for life. At Happy Days Nurseries, we’ve witnessed firsthand the immense rewards that come with nurturing and guiding children during their formative years.

Contribute to Early Child Development

Perhaps the most rewarding aspect of working in childcare is the opportunity to contribute to early child development. Witnessing the growth and progress of the children under your care, both emotionally and intellectually, is an experience like no other.

As childcare workers, we have the privilege of playing a vital role in shaping the future generation and enjoying our jobs while we do it. Every day working in childcare is improved by the fact that you know you are helping form early memories and making children happy, setting them up for success.

Find Diverse Career Paths and Specialisations

One of the most compelling aspects of a career in childcare is the sheer diversity of available roles. From early childhood education to special needs care and even

administrative positions (including finance, marketing, development, and more!), there’s a path to suit every skill set and passion within the childcare sector. With Happy Days Nurseries, you can explore roles across a range of locations in the Southwest of England and Wales, or at our support centre in Newquay. Plus, with government support available for those entering childcare roles, there’s never been a better time to embark on a fulfilling career journey.

Opportunities for Continuous Learning and Development

The childcare sector offers numerous chances for continuous learning and development, including your practical childcare skills, organisational work, management, and more.

Whether you’re drawn to hands-on interaction with children or prefer a behind-the-scenes role, there are plenty of opportunities for career progression in the field. Many of our staff have been with Happy Days for several years, honing their skills and now operating in management or supervisor roles. You can see the paths they’ve taken on our career pathways page!

Flexible Working Arrangements to Suit You

Flexibility is another key benefit of working in childcare. Whether you’re seeking part-time, full-time, or non-traditional hours, there are options to suit your needs. This flexibility is particularly invaluable for individuals with children of their own, allowing for a better work-life balance and allowing you to work around your busy schedule.

Building Strong Community Connections

Furthermore, a career in childcare enables professionals to build strong connections with members of your community. By forging meaningful relationships with families, childcare workers become integral members of their local area, fostering a sense of belonging and support.

There is a Growing Demand for Childcare Professionals

Today, the demand for childcare professionals is higher than ever. Changes in family structures and work dynamics mean that more parents are seeking reliable childcare options, creating a growing need for qualified individuals in the sector.

High demand for childcare workers results in more career opportunities in the childcare sector, and that means it’s an excellent time to join our growing team. We are always on the lookout for exciting and passionate individuals who are looking to join the sector and help the development of children in the UK. Start your childcare or nursery career journey today by sending your CV and a cover letter to our team, even if you don’t see a role that fits you straight away!

Find Careers in Childcare That Suit You

So, if you’re ready to embark on a career that offers fulfilment, enjoyment, and endless opportunities for growth, look no further than childcare. Visit our careers page today to explore the exciting nursery careers awaiting you at Happy Days Nurseries and join us in making a positive difference in the lives of children and families across the Southwest of England and Wales.

Inspire their future, and your future, with a career in childcare.

The benefits of working with Happy Days

A career in Early Years is already a rewarding experience on its own. There are few more fulfilling roles than helping young children develop their social skills, make new friends, and build their understanding of the world around them.

At Happy Days, we help our colleagues SHINE with our company values, benefits package, and support of the health and wellbeing of everyone at our nurseries.

It’s important to us that everyone at Happy Days wants to be fulfilled, feels enriched in their daily lives, and helps those around them achieve success.

Our SHINE values apply to both our staff and the children in our care and mean more to us than simply words on a page. They define the way we operate, setting the self-development and health of those in our nurseries as our top priority.

We also provide our staff with several key benefits as standard, including:

• A 50% childcare discount
• Paid Christmas closedown so you can fully enjoy the festive period
• Personal development and training opportunities
• Employee assistance and wellbeing tools

Happy Days offers flexibility and an expansive career pathway

There are a huge variety of jobs in nurseries, including those working directly with the children as well as roles supporting the wider operation of the nursery. Whether you are looking to progress your career working with children or in an alternative role, we are always looking for the right people!

We have a passion for the growth and development of our own staff and always try to promote from within whenever possible. We want you to enjoy your time with Happy Days, staying with us to progress your career in the way you want, while achieving your personal goals along the way.

One possible career path within Happy Days is joining as an Early Years Apprentice and reaching the very top as a Nursery Manager, working as a Qualified Nursery Practitioner, Room Supervisor, and Deputy Manager in the process.

Alternatively, Happy Days has a dedicated team of colleagues who support our nurseries with specialist functions, meaning that there are opportunities to join us in roles such as Finance, HR, Operations, Facilities and Mergers, or Developments. Our staff have shared their own career pathways within Happy Days, so see what your journey could look like!

We are always looking for the perfect people

Happy Days Nurseries is a growing community, and we are always on the hunt for new staff to help meet demand. If you think you have the qualities and personality to succeed within our industry, we would love to hear from you!

To be considered for one of our nursery job vacancies, attach your CV and fill out the form on our careers page. If we have a relevant position open, we will be in touch, and if we don’t, we’ll keep your details on record so that you’ll be the first to know when something comes up.

With new locations set to open soon, and plans for many more in the future, it won’t be long before you hear from us.

How to find your local nursery

Not sure where your closest Happy Days nursery is, or whether you will be able to work for us? Our nursery locator tool can help find the closest nursery to your home!

We are primarily based in the southwest of England and the south of Wales but hope to expand across the country in the future. We opened our first nursery in 1991, and now have more than 20 sites across these areas, so rest assured there’ll be a Happy Days location by you soon!

We also have plenty of non-childcare roles that are either fully remote or based at our support centre in Cornwall, so you can enjoy the benefits of working for Happy Days without needing to be nearby!

Get in touch to start your career journey with Happy Days today

Looking to make a start in a new field or progress your childcare career? Get in touch, we would absolutely love to hear from you. Fill out the application form on our website to select your preferred role and location and leave us your CV – we’ll make sure to contact you should something suitable be available.

How ParentZone can help you relax

ParentZone offers a wide range of functionalities to help parents understand and track the progress being made by their children. It allows our team to input weekly observations and 6 monthly assessments regarding your child’s progress.  

This way, you can see the activities your child has been participating in while at nursery, through professional observations, photos, and videos from our team. Meaning that you can gain an understanding of what your child is doing and rest easy knowing that they are being well kept care of.

Also, if you have multiple children or need to look back on an old update, you can filter your timeline so that it only shows information specific to what you need!

Happy Days are forward-thinking

Nursery is all about the development and growth of your child – learning new things, exploring new concepts, and finding out as much about the world as possible. Happy Days utilises a child centred learning model which encourages the children in our care to explore their education at their own pace while also setting them up for school effectively.

This involves using technology, music, sports and more to learn and discover in their own way, especially since these aspects play such a major role in modern society.

Happy Days Nurseries is proud to implement technology into our operations for the benefit of our children and parents, and we utilise the leading nursery app in the UK, ParentZone, to do that.

Two-way communication helps improve the nursery experience

ParentZone isn’t only used to keep you in the know, though. As a parent, you can also let us know when something has happened that may mean we need to change the way we care for them day-to-day.

The app also means that you don’t have to find your key person first thing in the morning when things are in a rush to tell them important information – you can simply upload the necessary information to the app and rest assured, knowing that they will receive it.

You can use any information given to you by your child’s key person to support your child’s learning at home, bringing in new concepts they’ve learned during family playtime. The reverse is also true, where you can upload photos or let us know of recent trips or activities that our staff can then talk to your child about, helping them grow communication skills and confidence.

See everything for yourself on our comprehensive user guide to ParentZone!

What do people think of ParentZone

Our ParentZone app is fully compliant with Ofsted requirements and is often a key consideration in the decision process for parents choosing between local nurseries. 

A quote from Laura, one of our parents:

“The ParentZone app is wonderful. It’s very easy to use, you can turn notifications on or off as you want, and it pretty much updates you during the day on what your child has done. It gives you an in-depth description and it uploads photos of your little one during the day. It’s so nice to see.”

Looking to make the most of expert Happy Days childcare at one of our specialist local nurseries? Find your closest branch using our dedicated search tool or reach out to our team directly – we are always happy to help!

Get in touch with Happy Days

Call our team on 0800 783 3431 or email enquiries@happydaysnurseries.com and ask any questions you may have.