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Join the discussion on our Education forum.

Education

What do you do AFTER school with your 4/5 year old?

14 replies

Mo2 · 02/09/2004 15:33

DS1 starting school next week, and I'm just interested to find out what everyone does with their kids at this age (Reception class).
Are they too knackered to do anything else?
Do you let them crah in front of TV at 3.30pm
Play with them?
Leave to their own devices?
Take to park/ swimming/classes etc every day?

Answers please... just trying to get my head around this new phase....

OP posts:

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albert · 02/09/2004 16:00

We usually go to the park for a little while because all his friends from school go there but as you mentioned, he is often too knackered to stay long. Then by the time we get home he gets up to his own thing whilst I make dinner. then we eat, play a little together, bath for him and then bed.

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Dingle · 02/09/2004 16:11

My ds was 5 on Monday so he started in reception in January and is going into yr 1 tomorrow!
My situation has been a bit more difficult as dd is 2.10 and has Down Syndrome, so I do need to work around her too.
I haven't taken him to many after school activities, mainly because dd couldn't join in and I had no-one else to look after her. So to a certain extent, I do feel he has missed out. On the over hand he comes home from school so tired - I really don't think he would be up to much some days.
I do aim to do some reading, writing or number work with him, every day and at the same time get dd to join in as necessary. I feel that it is important to spend some quality time alone with him, seeing as it is pretty much the only time we get.His school doesn't give homework but other local schools do give it in reception. Some days this doesn't happen and yes, they do end up watching TV.
It is difficult I feel, because after a long day at school, he does come home tired, and my quality time with him, isn't always QUALITY time.

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Dingle · 02/09/2004 16:14

Oh yes, and when dh get's home, they do have a regular slot of playing in the garden, football, cricket....which usually ends in tears. Weather allowing of course.

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SoupDragon · 02/09/2004 16:22

Let them crash. I take it from DS1 really. Sometimes we read his school book, other times we'l leave that til bed time.

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KateandtheGirls · 02/09/2004 16:24

My daughter is always really tired at the end of the day now that she is going to school 6 hours a day instead of the 4 hours she was going last year. Most of the time I let her set the pace once we get home. She'll often want a snack. Some days she has homework so we do that; other days she'll want to do some reading or something with me. Sometimes she just wants to veg out in front of the tv, and that's not a problem. Some days, weather permitting, we go for a swim. When the weather cools down I'm sure we'll go to the park some days. One afternoon a week she has a gymnastics class which she loves, but I don't want to schedule any more activities for her right now because school takes so much out of her. It also depends on whether her 2 year old sister is taking a nap.

I would wait to see how your son feels after a day at school and play it by ear.

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roisin · 02/09/2004 16:27

DS2 is 5.5, so he's now in year 1. Last year he was pretty shattered after school every day - it takes about 25 minutes to walk home, so that takes care of the need for fresh air and exercise, and gives him opportunity to tell me about his day. Mostly he just chills out on his own with his toys, sometimes plays outside on his bike, about once a week when he is especially tired I put a video on for him. Occasionally I'll do some baking with them or some sort of craft activity.

Generally we keep it fairly relaxed: no after-school clubs or activities.

(Last year he had tea at 4.30, bath at 5.00 pm followed by stories. He was invariably in bed by 6 pm, and asleep by 6.03 ... Did you ask about how knackered they were?! This year I'm TRYING to push it back by half an hour

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suedonim · 02/09/2004 16:29

Any of those things! Usually mine have wanted to chill out, read a book and have a snack but a friend's child needed a good run around - due, she said, to the strain of him having had to be good all day.

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hmb · 02/09/2004 16:31

I let them veg, do what they want, but we do any homework, mostly 'reading' a book. I'll do stuff with them, but I leave the choice to them. Lots of cozy cuddles makes it 'quality' time, I think.

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KateandtheGirls · 02/09/2004 16:31

Glad it's not just me roisin! My daughter went to bed at 6:15 one day last week (she was SO tired and being a little monster). She slept right through until 6:45am.

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SoupDragon · 02/09/2004 16:33

They're not all tired though - school seems to have barely caused a blip in DS1s energy levels! I was looking forward to quiet time after school only to find he was full of beans.

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iota · 02/09/2004 17:08

My 5 yr old is never tired. After school he watches TV, plays in the garden (bouncing on the trampoline etc)
One day he has as swimmming lesson, another day he does football after school, sometimes he has a friend round for tea or goes to a friends.

Plus he's always got enough energy to fight with ds2.

And I'm lucky if he's in bed by 8 pm

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scaltygirl · 02/09/2004 17:48

This reply has been deleted

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KBear · 02/09/2004 20:53

My dd is starting year one next week so is 5.5. During her reception year she was quite tired after school (especially as we have a 20 min walk there and back too) so I am quite happy for her to relax in front of the tv or play Barbies or whatever she wants to do after school. She recently started Rainbows once a week which is only for an hour but I don't want to overload her with lots of after school clubs etc, I think they have quite a hectic enough day at school. Personal choice of course, and all children need different things - I would play it by ear and she how she feels. By the way, my ds would eat me out of house and home after school if I let her so now I always get the dinner on early!

Don't worry, she'll love it.