To get ds to do after school clubs when I’m at home?

OP I think it’s a great idea to try a couple of clubs. Although it’s £50 you’d probably spend that on other stuff anyway like swimming or soft play. You’d also have to entertain a toddler.

Mine did every club going, football, athletics, choir, dance, science etc. You had to sign up quick as they only had so many spaces at each club, but I made sure they were first at the door with that signed slip the next day 🤣

I’m home on Thursdays and my son is 9 so walks himself to school. He could just come home and I’d prefer it as it would save me a pickup and the money - but he loves it and wants to keep going so I’m keeping him in for now. After school club can be brilliant for kids (and it’s screen free fun which is a bonus!)

If I’m ever not working I give my children a choice of an early pick up rather than ASC and they always want to stay at ASC unless I can bring their friends home with them for a playdate. They have forged really strong friendships with their school friends and I don’t think it’s any coincidence that those friends are also ASC regulars, they’re getting up to 10 hours a week free play opportunities with those friends which is huge.

Plenty of children enjoy after school clubs as a way to spend more time with their friends.

Reception children tend to get tired more easily though so you need to balance it out.

Oh that’s a shame!

Yes, I’d look at booking a couple of clubs after school in the week if you can. Learning to swim usually is a half hour lesson but the whole event (changed travel etc..) takes a couple of hours.

Speak to the other mums at the school gate, find out which clubs their children attend for ideas.

if he enjoys the activities then it's fine, no different really to picking him up and then taking him out to something he wants to do, which you might do if you didn't have the younger child and so found it easier!

what do his friends do? You can usually get a feel of what's available from other parents - most who have older kids so have routines and clubs well in place

My son is in reception. He does 1 hour at ASC once a week. It's a great club, very outdoorsy and he loves playing with his friends. Our school don't offer any activity clubs for Reception age.

The other 4 days, we get home, he gets changed, we chat a bit and then he chooses a snack and something to watch on the TV. He likes me to sit with him. I'm fine with it as it's switch off time after a long and busy day.

TV time can be up to an hour, then we switch off and he plays while I make tea.

I miss him on the one day he stays longer at school but I know he loves it and next year he can start doing a club or activity.

It's a personal choice as each child is different. We do loads with our son at weekends and in the holidays so we're all quite happy with chilled out after school time. My view is he has years of clubs and activities to come so while he's still really little in Reception, I'm not sure he needs it.

Lego club sounds awesome.

Sticking a child in actual wraparound care until 6pm every day when you aren't at work feels a bit mean, attending a club for an hour a few days a week is fine.

My school offers the same - paid clubs which are an hour after school and actual wraparound until 6pm (different prices / different booking system etc)

I don’t think after school club (the one that is childcare) is really fair in reception if not needed for work. The normal school day is a long day for them anyway.

If you need to do it for work, it’s obviously ok and not going to harm them, but it is better if they can come home and be with you, and relax in their own home.

An after school activity that they want to do a couple of days a week, sure.

Any sports club that keeps him active in winter I think is a great idea - and the Lego sounds fun! I would.

Can you walk to the school and walk home?

I used to walk 20 minutes to the school and collect both DC to walk home rather than take the car. The walk home used to take 2 hours, home at 5.30, as they would take forever, climb every wall they could etc… I’d never rush them as I saw this as their activity for the day. Home at 5.30. Stick the TV on, whilst I cook, play 1 game with them, then bedtime routine.

Your son maybe becoming destructive the later it gets because he’s tired. Could you move his bedtime forward a little perhaps. He won’t know if you don’t tell him.

I am a SAHM, eldest is in Reception. He goes to clubs straight after school three days a week and then I take him to a sports club/ tutoring the other two days. His latest finish is 4:45pm. He likes it and he’s learning stuff, I don’t think it’s the same as wrap around care.

they finish school at 3pm 😂

Poor kids, stuck at home doing nothing from 3 to 8pm, 5 days a week and weekends. It's normal for little ones to enjoy playing with friends, and do all kind of sports and activities.

Even if they come home at 5 or 6, there's still a couple of hours to chill and do quiet play in their room

I voted YABU at first but seeing your subsequent posts YANBU to put him in, it's a good opportunity for kids to try out different activities. You can always pull him out if he doesn't like it.

I remember those days. It’s not easy.

It isn’t usual to use the wrap around care (asc) if you’re not working and I know from experience that the kids who have to go would rather just go home. But, saying this, if you find entertaining your kid a hard slog after school then I can’t see any harm in sending him for one day just to have play time with friends.

For the other days, have you booked in swimming lessons or thought of another activity your child might like to do? Alternatively, you could bake together or just sit with playdoh / Lego etc.. You only have to kill an hour playing, then cook dinner, a bit of tele for DC, bath, story and bed.