We had a wonderful time researching surprising animal sleep facts this week! I’ve even put together a fun printable to share with the kids.
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Surprising Animal Sleep Facts
What You'll Find on This Page
This week’s Virtual Book Club for Kids pick is the adorable picture book, Time for Bed, written by Mem Fox. Looking through the beautiful pictures in this book got my four-year-old daughter curious about where, when and how animals sleep. We talked about how some animals sleep in trees, while others dig holes in the ground. Some animals hide in bushes to sleep, and others huddle together in groups. My daughter had a lot of questions, so we did some research on animals and sleep. We discovered several surprising sleep facts! I put our top five picks together into a printable for your family to enjoy, and I’m linking the sources we used for our research below.
If you can’t find a copy of Time for Bed, Kitten’s First Full Moon is another adorable night-and-animals-themed picture book for kids. It opens the door for discussions about nocturnal and diurnal animals! Owl Babies is another family favorite, featuring three baby owls who wait for their mother to come home. Do you have another favorite book about animals at night or simply nighttime that we should add to this book list?
Learn More Surprising Animal Sleep Facts:
We had a lot of fun choosing our favorite surprising animal sleep facts for this post! Keep learning with these fun animal sleep resources:
- Animals that Sleep the Least
- BBC article on honeybees and sleep
- How Much Do Animals Sleep
- Newborn Dolphins and Orcas Don’t Sleep
- Snoozing Animals Gallery
- Strange and Surprising Facts About How Animals Sleep
- When and Where Do Animals Sleep?
More Night and Sleep Themed Learning Activities for Kids
Here are this week’s night and sleep themed learning activities from my co-hosts, organized by learning topic.
NUMBERs LEARNING Night and Sleep Themed ACTIVITIES
- Star Counting Activity from Inspiration Laboratories
Night and Sleep Themed Cooking Activities
- Farm Animal Bedtime Snacks that Toddlers and Preschoolers Can Make from Chickadee Lit
Night and Sleep Themed COLOR LEARNING
- How to Make a Star Garland from The Educators’ Spin On It
NAME LEARNING Night and Sleep Themed ACTIVITIES
- Discover My Name in the Night Sky from Powerful Mothering
Night and Sleep Themed Movement Activities
- Bedtime Relaxation Stretches for Kids from Sugar Aunts
- Night Time Glow In The Dark Bowling from Adventures of Adam
PRE-WRITING Night and Sleep THEMED ACTIVITIES
- Starlit Night in a Cup! from To Be a Kid Again
- Puffy Paint Night Sky from Views From a Step Stool
- Star Pre-Writing Activities for Preschoolers from Toddler Approved
Night and Sleep Themed Science Activities
- Why We Have Night from Preschool Powol Packets
Sensory Activities for a Night and Sleep Theme
- Calming Sensory Playdough from Witty Hoots
Which of the surprising animal sleep facts that we shared today did you find most surprising? Do you have another animals at night or simply night or sleep themed activity we should try? Come share an image on my Facebook page, or tag me on Instagram.
MaryAnne is a craft loving educator, musician, photographer, and writer who lives in Silicon Valley with her husband Mike and their four children.
Amazing! God is so creative to invent so many animals with such unique sleep patterns!
Sometimes I feel like I don’t sleep :) Those are fun facts.
I know the feeling! And I am awfully glad that I am not the mother of a newborn dolphin or orca!
Love these facts! My kids love interesting animal facts.
Love these animal sleep facts! Who knew?!
How fascinating. I have to surprise my daughter with some of these facts today. Aren’t you glad that you are not mothering a baby dolphin?
Love the half-brain one! I feel like I’m doing that when I nurse at night sometimes. :)