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Bedtime game

Goodnight Room

Takes about:
3 minutes to play
Good for:
Baby, Toddler
You’ll need:
just you, and the lights down low
Handy for:
winding down

The last game of the day is the quietest. Hold your little one and walk slowly round their room, saying goodnight to one thing at a time, until there’s nothing left to say goodnight to but them.

It turns the room into part of the bedtime routine, and gives the day a gentle, familiar ending: the same words, in the same order, every night.

How to play

  1. Dim the lights first. After the bath and pyjamas, switch off the big light and put a lamp on low, so the room already feels sleepy.
  2. Pick them up. Carry your baby, or hold hands with a toddler, and start by the door.
  3. Say goodnight to one thing at a time. “Goodnight, window. Goodnight, lamp. Goodnight, ducks on the curtains.” Point to each thing as you name it, and give them time to look.
  4. Get a little quieter each time. Start in your ordinary voice and end in a whisper.
  5. Follow their lead. If your toddler points at something, or says “Teddy!”, that’s next.
  6. End in the same place every night. Finish at the cot or bed with “And goodnight, Ava”, or whatever you call them, then a kiss and a cuddle.

Why it helps

  • The NHS says a simple, soothing bedtime routine may help your baby settle, and is a chance for some one-to-one time. Its ideas include dimming the lights to create a calm atmosphere and a goodnight kiss and cuddle.1
  • A consistent bedtime routine is linked with better sleep in babies and toddlers: falling asleep faster and waking less.2
  • The NHS suggests naming and pointing to things you can both see, and says this helps babies learn words. In time, they’ll start to copy you.3
  • In a study of toddlers learning to talk, children who began pairing a gesture with a word, such as pointing while saying a word, tended to be the first to start putting two words together.4

As they grow

  • Baby: Keep to four or five things, in the same order each night. Wave “night night” to each one, and see if they start to wave too.
  • Toddler: Hand over the lead. Let them choose what to say goodnight to, and say it with you. Try asking “Where’s the lamp?” and let them point. The NHS suggests “Where’s your…?” questions for 18 to 24 month olds.3 Add goodnights to people who aren’t there: “Goodnight, Grandma. Goodnight, Daddy at work.”

Tips

  • Same words, same order. The NHS says repeating words helps toddlers remember them,3 and soon they’ll know what comes next.
  • Keep it short. Three minutes is plenty. If they’re overtired, skip straight to the cuddle.
  • Wind down before, too. The NHS says too much excitement just before bed can wake a child up again, and suggests calmer activities, like reading, as bedtime gets near.1 A bedtime story or a lullaby fits well just before or just after.
  • It travels. At Grandma’s or on holiday, say goodnight to the new room and everything in it. The words are the same, wherever you are.
  • The moon counts. If it’s out, say goodnight to it through the window before you close the curtains.
  • Phone down. Turn the screen off before you start, so the only light is the lamp.

Keep it safe

  • Say goodnight to teddy, then leave teddy on the shelf. The NHS says to keep a baby’s cot clear of pillows and soft toys, as babies under 1 can suffocate if their face gets smothered.5
  • Lay your baby down on their back for every sleep, day or night.6

About this game

Written with AI assistance. Written by Sam and Erin with help from Claude. We’re parents, not health professionals: if you have any worries about your baby’s development, talk to your health visitor or GP. For more on why games like this matter, see Why play with your baby?

Sources

  1. NHS. Helping your baby to sleep. nhs.uk
  2. Mindell JA, Williamson AA. Benefits of a bedtime routine in young children: Sleep, development, and beyond. Sleep Medicine Reviews. 2018;40:93–108. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  3. NHS. Help your baby learn to talk. nhs.uk
  4. Iverson JM, Goldin-Meadow S. Gesture paves the way for language development. Psychological Science. 2005;16(5):367–371. doi.org
  5. NHS. Baby and toddler safety. nhs.uk
  6. The Lullaby Trust. Sleeping position. lullabytrust.org.uk

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