A daily routine for preschoolers in Singapore: sample schedules for childcare, kindergarten, Primary 1 and weekends

A good daily routine for preschoolers in Singapore fits around three numbers from the national activity guidelines: 10 to 13 hours of sleep a day for 3- to 5-year-olds, including any nap; at least 180 minutes of physical activity, an hour of it brisk; and less than 1 hour of recreational screen time, none in the hour before bed. Keep wake-up and bedtime the same on weekdays and weekends, as the guidelines advise. Below are sample schedules for a full-day childcare day, a half-day kindergarten, a Primary 1 school day and a weekend, each checked against those numbers, with slots for naps, screens and homework.

The numbers a routine should hit

The Singapore Integrated 24-Hour Activity Guidelines, published by the College of Paediatrics and Child Health and shared by KKH, cover sleep, activity and screens together. HealthHub's Parent Hub gives the same screen limits.

Two more rules shape every schedule below: no screens in the hour before sleep or at meals, and a bedtime routine that's the same each night and takes less than an hour, as HealthHub suggests. Our screen time guide has ideas for sticking to the limits.

Sample routine: full-day childcare

Most childcare centres open from 7am to 7pm, and the day inside follows a timetable much like Kinderland's sample day: arrival from 7am, breakfast at 8.30am and a nap from 1pm to 3pm. Here's a weekday for a 4-year-old around that, with the home parts in your hands:

A half-day kindergarten routine

MOE Kindergartens run 4-hour sessions, from 8am to 12pm or 1pm to 5pm, and many private kindergartens keep similar hours. The afternoon is yours, and it's the easiest place to fit in active play and a nap or quiet time. A morning-session day for a 5-year-old:

If your child naps late in the afternoon, bedtime tends to slide. HealthHub advises avoiding naps close to bedtime, so a 5pm sleep in the car is worth heading off with an earlier, shorter nap.

Sample routine: a Primary 1 school day

The switch to Primary 1 changes the day more than anything since birth: no nap, an early start and the first homework. MOE says primary schools decide their own start time, as long as it's not earlier than 7.30am, and most start then. At Anchor Green Primary School, for example, all pupils report by 7.30am and P1 and P2 are dismissed at 1.30pm; check your school's hours on its website or Parents Gateway.

MOE leaves homework to each school, which must have a homework policy that keeps the load manageable, with adequate time for family bonding, personal interests and rest. If homework regularly runs past bedtime, raise it with the form teacher. If your child goes to student care after school, ask when they do homework there so evenings stay free. Our P1 registration guide covers choosing a school.

Sample routine: weekends

The guidelines ask for a consistent bedtime across weekdays and weekends, and the same goes for wake-up. Weekends are where the active minutes are easiest to find, before the midday heat.

Making the routine stick

• Start a new routine a week or two before school or childcare begins, so the first day isn't also the first early morning. Our guide to starting childcare has a first-week plan.
• Use a picture chart for the morning and bedtime steps; preschoolers can't read a clock, but they can follow pictures.
• Give a 5-minute warning before each change, such as "Five more minutes, then bath."
• Keep the order the same even when the times slip; the sequence matters more than the clock.
• Review it every few months. A 3-year-old who naps two hours may drop the nap at 5, and the evening shifts with it.

For babies and toddlers still on two naps, our baby sleep schedule tool works out nap and bed times by age.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good daily routine for preschoolers?

One with fixed wake and bed times, 10 to 13 hours of sleep including naps for 3- to 5-year-olds, at least 180 minutes of activity and less than an hour of recreational screens, none in the hour before bed.

What time should a preschooler go to bed in Singapore?

Count back from wake-up. A child who wakes at 6.45am for childcare needs to be asleep by about 8.15pm to 8.45pm to get 10 to 13 hours with a nap.

Do preschoolers still need a nap?

Many do, and most childcare centres keep a nap from about 1pm to 3pm. The national guidelines say older preschoolers may not need one if they sleep enough at night.

How much screen time is OK for a 4-year-old?

Less than 1 hour of recreational screen time a day, by the national guidelines, with none at meals or in the hour before bedtime.

How long should a P1 child spend on homework?

MOE gives no national figure; each school sets its own homework policy and keeps the load manageable. Keep it to one regular slot, and tell the teacher if it runs past bedtime.