Dear Early Childhood colleagues, There are several new articles and research reports on the importance of naps for both children and adults. Yesterday, New England Public Radio reported on a new UMass-Amherst study suggests that naps during preschool can enhance learning and memory. "Psychologists recruited 40 Western Massachusetts preschoolers and played a memory game with them under different napping conditions. They found that children who napped during the day had better recall than those who didn't -- even after factoring in night-time sleep." Researcher Rebecca Spencer says she hopes the study will encourage policy makers to include naps as part of the ever-expanding preschool curriculum. "So for instance, in the state of Massachusetts, we now have teeth brushing as part of the curriculum. You also see most of the preschools are including some sort of emotional regulation curriculum," Spencer says. "All of these things are putting pressure on how they spend their day and leaves less and less time for kids to take a nap." With best wishes for health-giving napping to you all, Susan Howard WECAN Coordinator
To listen to audio of the interview, click here:UMass Psychology Study Finds Naps Enhance Preschool Learning
For more information on the UMass study, click here:
Sleep Research Study Finds Daytime Naps Enhance Learning in Preschool Children
And for another recent NPR report on the importance of sleep and memory, click here:
'Memory Pinball' and Other Reasons You Need a Nap
To listen to audio of the interview, click here:UMass Psychology Study Finds Naps Enhance Preschool Learning
For more information on the UMass study, click here:
Sleep Research Study Finds Daytime Naps Enhance Learning in Preschool Children
And for another recent NPR report on the importance of sleep and memory, click here:
'Memory Pinball' and Other Reasons You Need a Nap
