Time-of-Day Preference for Preschool-Aged Children

Circadian arousal impacts both physiological and intellectual functioning in humans and has been shown to vary significantly over the lifespan. Normative data indicate that children (ages 7 to 12 years) tend to have morning peaks in arousal, but that adolescents shift to eveningness. This evening preference continues through young adulthood and then shifts back to morningness late in life. While circadian and arousal patterns for older children and adolescents have been well documented, their impact on very young children has not received the attention it merits. The present study assessed circadian patterns for children aged 2 to 6. The data suggest that 2and 3-yearolds show extreme morning tendencies, with roughly 90% of all children scoring as morning types. Morningness tendencies remain strong, but are more moderate in 4and 5-year-olds (with roughly 75% scoring as morning types). These findings hold important implications for curriculum development, times for standardized testing, and psychological assessments.