Two years ago, Vilnius gave parents the opportunity to decide for themselves whether their children could replace their afternoon nap in kindergartens with an alternative form of rest. Today, almost 3 thousand of Vilnius's little ones out of almost 30 thousand kindergarteners use this opportunity. Instead of a midday nap, children play board games, listen to calm music, draw, do puzzles, flip through books and engage in other activities.
"We want to be happy that Vilnius, as always, is the initiator and pioneer of the implementation of this good idea. We have not forced our young residents to take a nap for three years now. Why? Because we are all different. If adults have their own opinions and individual needs, then children have them even more so. A child is a small person with individual needs and the less we suppress them, the more gently we look at the emerging personality, the healthier our society will be," - Vilnius Vice-Mayor Donalda Meiželytė.
According to the vice mayor, by giving parents the opportunity to choose whether their child should sleep during lunch, the capital has moved from education for all to personalized, individualized education, because a child's daily regimen must meet the child's physiological needs - everyone's sleep needs depend on age and individual characteristics of the body.
At the beginning of the school year, kindergartens interview parents and discuss the characteristics of the child's rest - the form of daily rest is determined taking into account the survey data, group dynamics and individual conversations with parents. For children who do not fall asleep after 20–30 minutes of rest in bed, the group teacher suggests getting up and doing a quiet activity that would not interfere with other children's rest.
At the end of 2023, about 2 thousand children did not take a midday nap. At the beginning of 2025, over 2,5 thousand children chose alternative rest during the midday nap. Approximately over 500 parents change their decision not to give their child a midday nap during the school year.
According to Lina Banaitienė, director of Vilkpėde Nursery School, the innovative approach to organizing children's rest was prompted by situations where afternoon naps caused negative emotions and stress for children.
"From conversations with parents, we heard that some children who have fallen asleep in kindergarten sleep worse at night or have very difficult time falling asleep in the evenings, sleep worse at night and have difficulty getting up in the mornings," notes L. Banaitienė.
Rasa Andrejeva, director of the nursery school "Spygliukas", agrees, sharing that parents of children who do not nap during the day are happy that their little ones fall asleep especially well in the evenings. During alternative rest, children cultivate their social skills.
“Children develop an understanding and respect for their own and those around them’s physiological needs: I want to sleep, so I lie down in bed, my friend needs to rest well at the table while coloring, so he or she rests differently,” says R. Andrejeva. She adds that there are children who, after a while, ask to sleep.
The opportunity to keep children awake is accompanied by the creation of dedicated spaces in educational institutions - former laundries and other unused spaces are being converted into retreat rooms, where informal activities are also held and children who are not sleeping spend their time.
