What do children do after a 3.15 school pick-up until bedtime?

Couple of club type things.
park / dog walk
play in garden
eat and eat and eat
play video games
watch kids tv (lots of that in the winter!)

I feel quite strongly that kids really benefit from unstructured time where they can CHOSE what to do.. I am the antithesis of the rigidly scheduled club/activity every day type parent I think! Mine also do no school work at home.

My DD7 refuses to join any clubs or activities as she finds school tiring. She does drawing, writes song lyrics, plays with toys, dresses up, goes on the trampoline, watches TV/ crafting YouTubers with me or her brother's and plays Roblox. She's happy with this and the time seems to pass quickly.

mine are young adults now but had after school club until 5.30 3 days a week. They also had rainbows / cubs once a week, swimming once a week and DS had football once a week plus weekend matches. They always played in the garden every day, and played with toys. Later gaming and laptop. I didn’t regulate screen time as they did have a good mix, and both did extremely well academically.

So if your 7 year old said can I go play at lily's and lily lived a door or 2 away you would say no. Cut the cord. This is why teens and young adults can't cope in the real world they've always had a parent hovering over them

Gosh I always run out of time in the evenings, I wish we had time to be bored! You must be organised, it always takes us an age to get home, make dinner, eat, do bedtime routines!

We also live in an area with lots of kids but I like to know where my 7 year old is. Controversial I know.

For us it’s 2 school pick ups (one at 3:20, one not long after), a long commute home, empty and wash lunch boxes, remake lunch boxes, work together to do any house work and cook, all eat together, clear up from dinner, do any homework, little bit of free time to play outside etc if there’s time, everyone showers/ baths and gets ready for bed and then reading in their bedrooms ready for a very early bedtime because we leave the house at 6am every day for our commute to work and school. It’s hard work to get everything done in time.

Honestly, whatever she wants, she's been at school all day. Reading, running about, playing out, gaming etc sometimes we manage a walk with her camera but we have a young baby now so it's mainly routines like cleaning cooking for me. It's good for them to be bored and make their own entertainment.

At age 7 mine had no after school clubs. They just played.

Ballet/tennis/brownies/football/ice skating/piano practice/swimming. Throw in the occasional playdate, running errands with me and the odd trip to the park when it's sunny and there's not really much time left over.

It's a long time ago for me but mine used to get home, have something to eat and play, often with friends in the garden in good weather, otherwise indoors.
We'd have a meal together around 7pm then wind down, get ready for bed, watch TV, chat.
Obviously there was homework later that had to be fitted in.

Mine did at that age. Admittedly we live in an area with loads of kids so obviously different if you have to drive them to friends houses.

Are there no other clubs she wants to do?

DS 7
Mon, Tuesday and Thursday- 320-415- tv then Jiu Jitsu until 530, home, dinner, Lego, little bit of PlayStation, book bed.

Wed- tv after school, then a dog walk usually, dinner, Lego etc book bed.

Friday- footie lessons after school until 420, tv then dinner, Lego etc book bed.

Saturday morning also has Jiu Jitsu and Sunday morning it’s swimming lessons so the tv/playstation in between the reading and Lego doesn’t bother me!

My eldest did after school club and every sport and club available every night.
My youngest hates all of that and won't attend anything and is quite happy amusing himself at home, we go for a walk in the woods or to the park for an hour most nights if its nice weather after I finish work.

Mine is 9. Has a tutor once a week soon to be twice. Martial arts class one evening, after school club another (usually till half 5), does craft clubs x2 on 2 days. Does swimming on Friday. The rest of the time is practice musical instrument, work book work, shower, dinner, lego,crafting, 30 mins of TV with a snack etc.

The OP's DD is 7! She can't exactly make her own plans independently

Swimming one right, cubs/beavers another on different nights but all must come for the ride, another activity on the fourth night. We often go to the playground before activities. We only have one free evening. They read, watch TV, play games on their tablets, homework, play football in the garden or other general play. When it warms up a bit I'll take them out after dinner to a near by play area.

What you wrote makes no sense to what I wrote. Me not entertaining my children 24/7 doesn't mean they aren't doing anything or leaving the house. They have friends they make their own plans if they want to sit in the house bored alone thats on them

At 7 mine were in bed by 7. 30 and usually would be going up for a bath at 6.30 and would then have a bedtime story etc til lights out 7. 30
School finished at 3.20 so by the time we'd walked home it was after half 3, especially if they'd chatted/played with friends walking the same way. Dinner was at about 5 when they were that age. Some days they had wraparound if we were working but on the other days they would read, play etc til dinner (sometimes helping a bit eg unloading some bits from the dishwasher or laying the table?) then dinner, then a bit of tv, then before you know it it's bathtime. The time never dragged. And mine also had a bit of music practice to do (but at that age it would have been 5 or 10 minutes) or maybe had a swimming lesson one day or football club after school or whatever.

My 7 year old has Beavers, swimming and football training so on those three nights there isn't time for much except dinner, homework (reading and spellings) and a quick shower before bed. On the two nights he doesn't have activities he plays in the garden if the weather is nice or plays inside with his toys if its not, then a bit of TV/ninendo switch time before he has a shower and gets ready for bed. He goes up to bed at 7.30pm but is allowed to read for half an hour before lights out.

At that age my children had swimming,football and tennis. So two evenings with organised activity. Play park and maybe play date occasionally. I don’t think it’s necessary to be overloaded with back to back entertainment. Snack and chilling ,watching TV is absolutely fine so children can unwind and relax.

I am exhausted for them. When do they get time to
"just be" just to watch tv, go out and play, lie on the sofa and daydream or play with all the toys that were given to them for Christmas and Birthday?

They go to a childminder on the days I teach (3) until around 4.45. They do crafts there or play games. At home we have dinner then they might have a swimming or karate lesson 6.30pm.

On evenings with no activities they play outside, watch TV, have device time (fire tablets).

Before bed they all read for half an hour. I have 4 children. 3 under 10. One teenager.

Agreed, DD will happily entertain herself but DS needs running around like an over excitable puppy otherwise he's bouncing off the walls.

Play, snack, homework, some more activity or class, do chores, dinner, finish homework if needed and downtime to read, bake, watch a movie, draw, or just hang out. Help with pickup before bedtime.

If she talks about being bored, it's chore time.