How many hours of sleep at this age
10 to 13 hours a night
That's the Canadian Paediatric Society's range for ages 3 to 5. Every child is different: in the first weeks of kindergarten, many need the top of the range, then it settles around 11 hours by mid-fall.
Typical struggles, and what to do
First-weeks-of-kindergarten fatigue
September. Jules comes home from kindergarten at 4:00 pm, flops on the couch, won't talk, then explodes over an apple cut "the wrong way." He isn't being difficult, he's exhausted: a class of twenty, new rules, a lunch to manage alone, and no more nap. For six to eight weeks, move bedtime 30 to 45 minutes earlier, even if it feels early. Keep evening activities to a minimum: no 6:00 pm soccer practice in September. Plan a solid snack after pickup and a moment with no demands, just a hug and a book. It usually settles before Halloween.
Telling you everything at lights-out
You ask "how was school?" at supper and get "fine." Then, lights out, hand on the doorknob, it all comes out: a friend who wouldn't play with him, the teacher who raised her voice, a song he learned. It isn't a stalling tactic (not always); it's that talking is easier in the dark. Rather than cutting it off, give it a planned spot in the routine: five minutes "about the day," sitting on the bed, before the story. Ask specific questions ("Who did you see at recess?") rather than general ones. And when they talk after lights-out, "we'll talk about it at breakfast tomorrow": then keep your word.
The weekend that undoes the week
Friday, family movie until 9:00 pm. Saturday, a friend's party, bed at 9:30 pm. Sunday night, no way they fall asleep before 9:00 pm, and Monday morning is a war to get out of bed. At 5, the body clock shifts quickly and resets slowly. Keep bedtime within 30 minutes, seven days a week: 7:30 pm on school nights, no later than 8:00 pm on weekends. Exceptional nights (Christmas, a birthday) happen, but go back to the normal time the very next day. Waking up at the same time on weekends helps too, even if it hurts the parent.
A 20-minute routine that holds up
At 5, the routine is theirs: they do it on their own, step by step, and you come by to "check" at the end of each block. It gives them pride, and gives you ten minutes to clear the kitchen. Here's an example for a 7:30 pm bedtime (earlier in September).
- 7:10 pm
School bag and tomorrow's clothes
They put their empty lunchbox on the counter, put the agenda back in the bag and pick tomorrow's clothes, laid out on the chair. Two minutes that take a lot of stress out of the morning, for both of you.
- 7:13 pm
Shower or bath, solo
They wash themselves (you stay within earshot and check the hair). Pyjamas on without help. You pop in: "Check: ears?" Thumbs up, and on we go.
- 7:20 pm
Teeth and bathroom
Two minutes of brushing with a sand timer or a song, then you quickly go over it (an adult still needs to finish at this age). Last trip to the bathroom. Water on the nightstand.
- 7:23 pm
Five minutes about the day
Sitting on the bed, light still on. "Best part of your day? Worst part?" You listen, you don't fix anything tonight. This is where worries come out, before the dark, not after.
- 7:28 pm
They read a bit, you read the rest, lights out
They read the words they know (their name, "Dad," "the moon"), you read the rest. One story or a short chapter. Then they turn off the light, cuddle, the nightly words, and you leave. "We'll talk tomorrow" for anything that comes after.
Reading with a 5-year-old
At 5, you no longer just read to your child, you read with them. They recognize their name, a few short words, and they love "reading" the speech bubble or the word in big letters while you do the rest. Don't correct every syllable; the goal at night is pleasure, not a lesson. Picture books are still perfect, and you can start early chapter books with short chapters: one chapter a night, with the excitement of what comes tomorrow.
Ten to fifteen minutes, in bed, reading light on. Let them choose, even if it's the same book for the fourth time: at 5, rereading a familiar book is reading practice. Take turns: Dad one night, Mom the next, or the 9-year-old sibling reading to the little one. Stories where the hero goes to school, makes a friend or gets over a small embarrassment land perfectly this year. And on the night they're too tired to listen, one page is enough: the routine still counts.
Questions parents ask
My 5-year-old has been exhausted since starting kindergarten
It's nearly universal in September and October. Move bedtime 30 to 45 minutes earlier, cut evening activities, and plan a hearty snack after pickup. No weekend naps to "catch up": they shift the night. If after two months they're still wiped out, falling asleep in class or snoring loudly at night, talk to your family doctor. Otherwise, patience: by November, most children have found their rhythm.
What time should a kindergartener go to bed?
Count backwards from wake-up time. If they need to be up at 6:45 am for the bus and need 11 hours, lights-out is 7:45 pm, so the routine starts around 7:15 pm. In the first few weeks, aim 15 to 30 minutes earlier. A child who wakes on their own, in a good mood, before the alarm is getting enough; a child you have to drag out of bed every morning probably isn't.
Can my 5-year-old do their bedtime routine on their own?
Almost. They can wash, put on pyjamas, start brushing their teeth and lay out their clothes without help. What they can't do alone yet: finish the brushing (an adult has to go over it), manage their time (they'll play in the bath for 25 minutes) and get into bed without someone walking them there. The formula that works: they do it, you check at the end of each step with a word or a thumbs up, and you keep the story and the cuddle for yourself. This isn't the moment to disappear.
Contes de Lune
And where does the card fit in?
At 5, the Contes de Lune postcard, which arrives by mail every week in their name, often becomes the first text your child reads "all by myself": they spot their name, their imaginary friend's name, the words they know, and you read the rest. Many pick it as the last read before lights-out, because it's short, it ends well, and the hero is them. A small pride to finish the day on.
The last step of the routine, by mail
At Contes de Lune, your child receives an illustrated card in their name every week, with a new chapter of a story where they're the hero, with their imaginary friend. Their first story is free, to read on screen.
Create their first story for freeNo credit card · then, if you love the adventure: the cards by mail for $14.99/month, delivery included in Canada.