Good night
Just as the light goes off, the thoughts from the day tend to wake up. The visual support below gives good night its own small frame, a stop sign between day and sleep, so the child knows the talking really is over.
♂Good night
A child with closed eyes holding a pillow, with the moon and stars in the background.
♀Good night
Illustration of a woman sleeping with a moon and stars above her head.
About this visual support
The edge of the bed is a strange place. All day has been too busy, but in the first dark minute the questions arrive: what happens tomorrow, why did Lova say that, what if I forget my jacket. Just as the room is meant to go quiet, a whole new conversation opens up, often more intense than any during the day.
When good night has its own picture, ideally a moon-hand over the eyes or a blanket pulled up, it becomes a visible ending. You say good night, you both point at the card, and the day is closed. A concrete tip is to keep a separate one last question card next to it, so the child learns that one question is fine but not ten, and that card is turned away afterwards. The agreement moves from your tone of voice to something you can still see in the dark.
In the Routined app you can build the whole evening routine with brushing teeth, reading and good night as the very last card, so the same sequence repeats night after night. Try the app free for 14 days.