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Bedtime routine for preschoolers: a timed chart for ages 3–5
Preschoolers like to know what comes next, and they are very good at making each step last longer. A chart on the wall settles both: the same steps in the same order, a time beside each, and a box your child ticks. Set the wake-up time and whether there is still a nap, and print it.
Updated October 10, 2026 · Hours: AASM 2016, endorsed by the AAP · Steps: AAP Brush, Book, Bed · Free · No sign-up
Lights out
7:15 pm
For a preschooler (3–5 years) who wakes at 7:00 am and no longer naps, lights-out at 7:15 pm leaves about 11 h 30 min for the night. The routine starts at 6:32 pm.
Bedtime routine
for ____________________
| Time | Step | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6:15 pm | Screens offTV, tablet and phone away for the last hour | |||||||
| 6:32 pm | 1Bath15 min · or a wash on non-bath nights | |||||||
| 6:47 pm | 2Potty and pajamas5 min · their pick of two pajamas | |||||||
| 6:52 pm | 3Brush teeth3 min · pea-sized toothpaste, adult checks | |||||||
| 6:55 pm | 4Two books (child picks)15 min · two means two | |||||||
| 7:10 pm | 5Talk about the day, cuddle5 min · one good thing, one hard thing | |||||||
| 7:15 pm | 6Lights outsame words each night |
Tick a box each night the step is done. Hours: AASM consensus 2016, endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics · steps after the AAP's Brush, Book, Bed. General information, not medical advice. dozeclock.com/bedtime-routine/preschooler/
One page, A4 or Letter, black on white. Choose "Save as PDF" in the print dialog to keep a file.
General information from population studies (NIH, CDC, NSF, AASM). It is not medical advice and does not replace a clinician who knows you.
Two sample evenings for a preschooler
A 3 or 4 year old who still naps
Waking at 7:00 am with a one-hour nap after lunch. The nap counts toward the 10 to 13 hours, so lights-out moves an hour later than for a child who has stopped napping.
| Time | Step | Min |
|---|---|---|
| 7:15 pm | Screens off | – |
| 7:32 pm | Bath | 15 |
| 7:47 pm | Potty and pajamas | 5 |
| 7:52 pm | Brush teeth | 3 |
| 7:55 pm | Two books (child picks) | 15 |
| 8:10 pm | Talk about the day, cuddle | 5 |
| 8:15 pm | Lights out | – |
Wake-up 7:00 am · naps 1 h · night about 10 h 30 min · built with the tool above
A 5 year old with no nap, on a school morning
Waking at 6:45 am with no nap and no bath on a weeknight. Without the bath the routine shortens to under half an hour, which helps on evenings after a long day out.
| Time | Step | Min |
|---|---|---|
| 6:00 pm | Screens off | – |
| 6:32 pm | Potty and pajamas | 5 |
| 6:37 pm | Brush teeth | 3 |
| 6:40 pm | Two books (child picks) | 15 |
| 6:55 pm | Talk about the day, cuddle | 5 |
| 7:00 pm | Lights out | – |
Wake-up 6:45 am · naps none · night about 11 h 30 min · built with the tool above
Why preschoolers do better with a fixed sequence
Between three and five, sleep changes shape. In the Zurich cohort, 35.4% of children still napped at 4 years, against 96.4% at 18 months, so for most children the daytime hours move into the night during these years. The builder asks about naps for that reason: the same wake-up time gives a different lights-out for a child who still naps and one who has stopped.
The routine itself matters as much as the time. In the toddler arm of the Mindell trial, children aged 18 to 36 months whose mothers followed the same three calm steps every evening for two weeks were reported to fall asleep faster and wake less than children in families who kept their usual evenings. That arm stopped short of four, and the study was funded by the company whose products the families used, but it fits what the AAP and the Sleep Foundation advise for older preschoolers as well: same steps, same order, same time.
Picture charts, choices and stalling
Make the chart theirs. Most preschoolers cannot read the words on the chart yet, so let your child stick a small photo of themselves doing each step beside its row, or draw one. Ticking the box is the reward; the chart turns "time for teeth" from your instruction into the next square.
Give choices inside the routine, not about it. The Sleep Foundation suggests letting children make small decisions, such as which pajamas to wear or which book to read, and notes that offering choices can head off stalling. The chart's steps stay fixed; what fills them is up to your child. Two books means two, chosen at the start.
Warn, ask once, then close the door. MedlinePlus suggests giving a child a warning when lights-out is close, asking before you turn out the light whether they need anything else, meeting a simple request, and then ignoring further requests once the door is closed. A stuffed animal or special blanket can give a preschooler some security after lights-out. The last row of the chart is where all of that happens, so a five-minute talk about the day sits just before it.
Hold the time on weekends. The AAP's advice is to set a regular bedtime and keep it rather than wait for signs of tiredness. If a later Saturday keeps turning into a slow Monday, move only the lights-out row and leave the rest of the chart alone. If your house is noisy after bedtime, a steady sound from the white noise player can cover it.
The hours behind the times are on the preschool sleep needs page. To see whether the plan is working, two weeks of the sleep diary will show when your child really falls asleep, and the bedtime calculator does the same arithmetic for your own alarm.
Talk to your pediatricianThese times are general guidance for healthy children, not a care plan. Talk to your pediatrician if your preschooler snores loudly most nights or seems to stop breathing in sleep, is sleepy or irritable in the day after a full night, has night fears that are getting worse, or if bedtime fights continue for weeks despite a steady routine.
Questions parents ask about preschool bedtime
- What time should a 4 year old go to bed?
- Work back from the wake-up time. For a 7:00 am wake-up and no nap, the middle of the 10–13 hour range puts lights-out at 7:15 pm; with a one-hour nap, 8:15 pm. The latest time that still reaches 10 hours is 8:45 pm without a nap.
- How long should a preschooler's bedtime routine be?
- About half an hour, a little longer with a bath, says the Sleep Foundation. The default chart here runs 43 minutes with a bath and 28 without.
- What do I do when my preschooler keeps calling out after lights-out?
- MedlinePlus suggests asking before lights-out whether your child needs anything, meeting a simple request, then ignoring further requests once the door is closed. Choices earlier in the routine help too.
- Should a 3 year old still nap?
- Many do. In the Zurich cohort 35.4% still napped at 4 years. If your child naps, set the nap total in the builder and lights-out moves later to match.
Sources
- Recommended Amount of Sleep for Pediatric Populations: A Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine — J Clin Sleep Med 12(6):785-786, 2016 (Paruthi S. et al.)
- Healthy Sleep Habits: How Many Hours Does Your Child Need? — American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org (last updated 8/7/2026)
- Brush, Book, Bed: How to Structure Your Child's Nighttime Routine — American Academy of Pediatrics, HealthyChildren.org (last updated 2/2/2024)
- Bedtime Routines for Children — Sleep Foundation (Pacheco D., last updated July 23, 2025)
- Bedtime habits for infants and children — MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, U.S. National Library of Medicine (reviewed 10/20/2024)
- A nightly bedtime routine: impact on sleep in young children and maternal mood — Sleep 32(5):599-606, 2009 (Mindell J.A., Telofski L.S., Wiegand B., Kurtz E.S.) — 405 mothers, children 7-36 months; funded by Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies
- Sleep duration from infancy to adolescence: reference values and generational trends — Pediatrics 111(2):302-307, 2003 (Iglowstein I. et al.) — Zurich Longitudinal Studies, 493 children
General information from population studies (NIH, CDC, NSF, AASM). It is not medical advice and does not replace a clinician who knows you.