Kids’ bedtime routine chart: printable and timed to your child’s bedtime
If you're not sure how many hours your child needs, the sleep need by age tool gives the recommended hours for any age, from four countries.
Your child's routine, timed
Enter your child's age and wake-up time below and the chart times each step back from lights-out, following the American Academy of Pediatrics' advice, and prints with your times filled in.
Enter your child's age and school-day wake-up time. Lights-out is worked out the same way as our school-night bedtime chart: the bottom of the recommended range for that age, counted back from the alarm, plus 15 minutes to fall asleep. If lights-out is already fixed in your house, enter that time instead and the steps count back from it.
Time the routine for your child
Lull Bedtime routine · instacalc.co
Bedtime routine: age 8, up at 7:00 AM
- 8:45 PM Screens off. TV, tablet, phone and games put away for the night, an hour before lights-out.
- 9:15 PM Tidy-up. Books and toys back on the shelf, clothes put away.
- 9:20 PM Wash and pajamas. A bath, if your child has one at night, comes before this.
- 9:25 PM Brush teeth.
- 9:30 PM Book. A story or two read together, about 15 minutes.
- 9:45 PM Lights out. Same time every school night.
Why each step sits where it does
The screens step comes first and furthest out. The AAP's HealthyChildren.org says “To prevent sleep disruption, turn off all screens at least 60 minutes/1 hour before bedtime.” (source), and recommends keeping TVs, computers, tablets and phones out of children's bedrooms. So screens go off first, before the routine starts.
The routine itself stays short. For school-aged children the AAP advises: “Try to keep the bedtime routine to no longer than 30 minutes.” (source). The AAP's Brush, Book, Bed program sets the order: help your children brush their teeth, read a favorite book, and get to bed at a regular time each night. It adds that “Spending some time, even just 15 minutes each day, to read aloud together will help improve your child's language development and social-emotional skills.” (source), which is why the book gets the largest share. The tidy-up comes from the same AAP page on school-aged children, which counts a quick tidy-up as part of the routine. The 5 minutes each for tidying, washing and teeth are our own split of the half hour.
What the research says about routines
In a 2018 review by Mindell and Williamson, the authors gathered the evidence on nightly routines in young children. They describe the usual parts of a routine as feeding, hygiene such as bathing and oral care, communication such as reading or singing, and physical contact such as cuddling. They link routines with better sleep and with language, behavior and family outcomes, and say more research is needed on those outcomes and how they come about. The review is about young children. For older children the pattern is a sensible one, but its effect hasn't been measured.
The printable chart above is text only, so it prints cleanly at home on A4 or US Letter paper.
When the routine starts to drag
The AAP warns that routines can stretch out if a child takes charge of them, with one more stuffed animal or one more question. Its advice is to allow choices inside the routine but limit them: “Let him choose a story and a song, but not a whole book or CD.” (source) The times on the chart make the limit visible: when the book step is over, it is lights out.
As children grow older, the AAP suggests stepping back gradually and letting them take charge of their own routine. For a teenager, use the chart as a checklist: screens off at the time shown, then the steps they choose, then lights out.
Weekends and holidays
The chart is built for school nights. On weekends lights-out can move a little later, but a much later wake-up shifts the routine's whole timing. The school-night chart explains the AAP's advice on weekend wake-ups, and the sleep need by age tool shows the full range of hours for any age.
Where real evenings differ from the chart
The chart is for school-age children and teenagers (age 5 and up), not babies or toddlers. Lights-out uses the fewest hours in the chosen range and our 15 minutes to fall asleep, and the minutes for the short steps are our split of the AAP's half hour. Real evenings vary: a bath night or a late activity moves everything.
Ask the child's doctor if bedtime is a long struggle most nights, or if your child is often tired in the day even with enough hours. This guide is general information, not medical advice: read our disclaimer.
Frequently asked questions
What time should a bedtime routine start?
About half an hour before lights-out: the AAP advises keeping the routine to no longer than 30 minutes. Screens go off earlier, an hour before lights-out.
What is a good bedtime routine for an 8-year-old?
For a 7:00 AM alarm: screens off at 8:45 PM, tidy-up at 9:15 PM, wash and pajamas at 9:20 PM, teeth at 9:25 PM, a book at 9:30 PM and lights out at 9:45 PM.
How long before bed should screens go off?
The AAP's advice is at least 60 minutes before bedtime, with screens kept out of children's bedrooms.
Where does a bath fit?
Before the routine shown here, if your child has a bath at night. The chart's wash step is for washing and pajamas.
Can I use this chart for a toddler or a baby?
No. It covers ages 5 and up. Babies and toddlers sleep in naps and night sleep together, which this chart does not plan.
Sources
- American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org) — Healthy Sleep Habits: How Many Hours Does Your Child Need?2026 · read on
- American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org) — Bedtime Routines for School-Aged Children2013 · read on
- American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org) — Brush, Book, Bed: How to Structure Your Child's Nighttime Routine2024 · read on
- Mindell and Williamson, Sleep Med Rev — Benefits of a bedtime routine in young children: Sleep, development, and beyond (abstract, PubMed)2018 · read on
- CDC — About Sleep (recommended hours by age)2024 · read on