Goodnight Moon Was Right: How to Wind Down at Night

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This is another in my series of Picture Books for the Grown-up Soul. We’re looking beneath the surface of picture books and seeing how they speak to us.

Did you read Goodnight Moon  to your kids? Or did someone special read it to you?

Let’s go back to the moment when the bath was done and you snuggle in a chair, pulling a child in fresh pajamas close, catching that soft, just-washed scent in their hair. The lights were low, the day was winding down, and you opened the book while a wiggly little body tried it’s best to resist sleep.  

“In the great green room
There was a telephone
And a red balloon
And a picture of—” (Goodnight Moon)

Looking back, I’m not sure if that ritual was for my kids or for me.  😉

While I read those words, I could feel my own body slowing down.  The rhythm of the book, the cadence of saying goodnight to the socks, the kittens, and the bowl full of mush.  I thought I was doing something for them, but many nights, it was exactly what I needed too.

Goodnight Moon was first published in September of 1947 and here we are, still reading it to children and grandchildren. That tells us something.

There is comfort in a rhythm that signals the end of the day.

We create that rhythm for our kids without thinking too hard about it.  We  dim the lights, run the bath, close the blinds, lowered our voices.  As they settled in, we often settled, too.

As we talk about rest this month, let’s do a Goodnight Moon kind of check-in.

What does the end of your day feel like?

Do you send signals to your body and brain that you are winding down? 

My own end of day is simple.  I clean up the kitchen and wipe down the counters.  I fill in my planner with what actually happened during the day, which helps my brain settle more than planning ahead every did.  Then a cup of tea, a book, some knitting or Grandma Kerri’s Sleepy Time Classics. I love listening to Kerri Hunt read.

It’s not elaborate, but it is different from my day.

If you are looking for a place to start or a refresh, Grandma Kerri’s Sleepy Time Classics is usually 15ish minutes.  If you have younger kids in the house, lean into the audio version of Goodnight Moon.  It’s 4ish minutes.  Sit with this or something similar and nurture the quieting down before bed. Experience moving into bedtime gently.  It’s possible you’re in a season of falling into bed.  I get it.  No judgment.  Check in and see shutting down your day might feel good.   If you try it this week, I’d love to hear what you notice.

“The day is ending. The moon is on the rise.

Goodnight you,”

(Links to the books in this post use my Amazon Affiliate information.  I may earn a small commission at no cost to you.)

Here's the link for the journal prompt board where you will find prompts for this series.