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

Activities, playing, going on the garden, doing projects etc.
We don't have a TV and tbh I found it very boring even when I was a kid that that's all we did.

1 or both of my DC (DS9 and DD11) have an activity every week night - athletics, netball, cubs/guides, football, both have cricket. They don't get as much homework as I think they should so spend the time when they don't have an activity either watching tv or reading or seeing friends.

Clubs most days at that age.

In nicer weather they’re likely to go out to play football at the park or in a friend’s garden/our garden until dinner/clubs and in crappy weather it’s screen time or maybe a book if I can see the screens impacting behaviour.

DC1 has football training 2 nights and one weekend game, running two nights and rookie lifeguard one night along with football and athletics after school clubs 2 days.

DC2 has football training 2 nights and one weekend game. Hated swimming so he’s dropped that recently after passing level 2. He’ll join running as soon as they have a free slot. He will also watch any and all football on tv and research scores from random worldwide leagues.

This is going to sound like such a wanky answer, but we have family membership to a posh local gym. So on days where they don't have sports clubs after school, if they're bored we pop down to the gym for a swim or to play tennis. It's worth the membership fee to keep them off screens for hours at a time and one of the reasons we did it. So we can do more activities together as a family, without having to drag everyone out on a reluctant bike ride or muddy walk!

If they're autistic and mask, they decompress in any way that suits them. Mine via Minecraft, city planning and transport video games; and fun educational videos. Anything but engagement outside the home.

When 4/5/6/7ish we maybe went to the park or shop, had a snack, chilled out, let them play. Had a music class one day a week throughout and for about 6 months another day was swimming (but moved that to a weekend because too tiring). They'd "help" me make dinner. We'd eat together. Then they'd play with Dad until bedtime at 7:30. Bedtime routine was pretty drawn out as Dad did that.

Around 7 we moved and commute home from school took up a big chunk but meant they'd decompressed by the time we got home, clubs twice a week and the introduction of more screen time until dinner. After dinner they'd play and read.

Mine didn't seem to get bored until lights out, at which point they tried all sorts to get us to give them attention, at least for a while!

Mine have activities after school each day (not always both children but they still need to come with me to drop off/collect) other than that they watch tv, play in the garden, eat dinner, read, sometimes practice their instruments or do times tables rockstars. Some evenings they are allowed to play on their games console but not every day. Drawing/crafts/card games or generally playing with their toys. Then it’s shower/bath and bedtime. They are 7 and 9.

We go to the library on a Monday to change our books over, Tuesday the park or chill at home, Wednesday clubs, Thursday after-school club, Friday clubs.

At that age, mine were in after-school club two days a week.

They had swimming lessons another day, in consecutive time slots (different ages/grades) and we walked to and from the pool, calling in at the library on the way.

They did Cubs/Brownies later in the evening on different days, so early dinner those days. We would usually go to the park on the way home if it was dry.

That didn't really leave loads of time for playdates, so could fairly easily fill the week if they had friends over.

Other things we might do... Baking, walk the dog, quick boardgame/card game. I expected them to entertain themselves while I cooked dinner - jigsaw, reading, drawing, maybe an episode of something on TV.

Although I didn't allow a lot of screen time, one of my DC struggles a bit more without direction and I allowed cosmic kids yoga or drawing tutorials on YouTube as a bit more interactive and not just staring at a screen. Mine also liked craft kits that they could manage without help.

We walk everywhere if possible, so that always took up a fair chunk of time.

Mine play. As a PP has said it’s an important life skill to learn to be bored - that’s where creativity comes from. Check out The Imagination Tree for ways to encourage children to play independently for longer. Craft is a good idea, as someone else suggested. You don’t need to pour money into endless activities at this age. Can she spend more time outside? Go to the park on the way home from school?

We have an allotment so we visit that on the way home and plant, water, pick bits.

Get home and I make tea while they play.

TV snuggle time after dinner or some educational activities or sowing again for the allotment

Bath, books and Bed,

Mine are older now - but it was swimming lessons and beavers / cubs and maybe one school organised activity . They were happy to play - draw and watch CBeebies back in the day . They went to bed about 7 though so a little less time . I never needed to entertain them but they did have each other

Try to get her into crafting of some description. Buy some cheap art supplies, use old magazines and get her to make a collage. Also crochet is quite basic starting out and there are some brilliant beginner books out there to help.
Also get her chopping veg/salad for the evening meal. Good luck!

It depends on the day but most days DS8 has an activity (either afterschool club or another club). Tuesday this term are our non activity day.
Usually I do pick up, park for 30-60 mins depending on weather and day, home, dinner, activity, home, shower, bed.
In the summer, I have one after school where I plan a park picnic and usually also take one of DS friends with us to a bigger park further away from the school.
Homework takes up a good half hour (usually while dinner is cooking).

Mine are a bit older (9 and 12) - they have one after school club week, on normal days - they do homework, read, shower, downtime (often lego or listening to music stuff) then bed at 8pm. We have dinner from about 530-630pm. Fridays are diff as one child has football until 7pm and i am home with the other, they normally just chill on a friday with music or chatting to friends on teams! im not keen on screens/tv mon-friday and its a nightmare to get them off so they do that on sundays.

Beavers, after school clubs, dinner, homework,
bath time

Why does she need to be entertained all the time? It’s a long school day as it is. She is bored because she doesn’t know how to occupy herself due to having something scheduled in. Surely some crafts, reading, music, even doing some baking. Some of her days are filled but she doesn’t need it all the time.

My DD was like this at 7. At 16 she’s still like this!

She did lots of extra-curriculars like Brownies, gymnastics, swimming, dance etc. We did play dates most days, parks etc. She just isn’t the type of person that can sit around and entertain herself. She also needs human interaction so required attention from me or a friend at all times. It was (and still is!) exhausting!

DS on the other hand was always happy to read a book or play with his Lego on his own for hours.

It’s all well and good saying that being bored and learning ways to fill your time is a good thing but some people just aren’t built that way.

Finding similar children who were always up for a play date certainly helped. I found a really good mum friend whose DD was exactly the same so they spent a lot of time together.

Now DD is a teenager, she has lots and lots of friends and socialises every day after school.

We walk home from school which should take 15-20 mins but generally we aren’t home much before 4. Sometimes a trip to the shop or library on the way home. Dd is 5 and has some tv - CBeebies type stuff before dinner and we usually watch wildlife documentaries with her before bed. Dinner takes a while. Other than that, she has a snack, plays with toys, does Lego, draws and does crafts, reads her book to me or I read to her, plays with her brother, plays in the garden and picks weeds for the tortoise, plants seeds, helps me with cooking, plays the floor is lava. We tend to be in the house so I can be vaguely around for DS who is 14.

i used to take DS to a park after school often where loads of other kids would go from his school and I could sit and chat with other parents (or sit on my phone 🙈).

9 Year old with ADHD here too and its exhausting keeping him entertained after school sometimes!!

He does sometimes like to come home & just chill, game or watch his iPad.

Doesn't usually last long though until he wants to do something else, so he will go in the garden, play with his toys ( although I've noticed doesn't happen very often - he's bored of toys now! )

I try to arrange lots of play dates, people coming for tea and find most parents then invite back, he has football 2 evenings a week and goes to a youth club once a week too!

When football / youth club isn't on were walking the dog, over the park, making easy cakes, think rice crispy, cornflake cakes, something he can do whilst i'm prepping dinner.

Failing that, I get the crafty stuff out, pens paper etc and ask him to make me a poster or something!

Mine does after school club 3x a week until 6pm but the other two days it's a snack and bit of chill out time with the TV, then it's homework, then playing or crafting and then dinner time, Bath time and stories etc.

My 8 year old goes to bed at 6pm (early riser) so for us it's not massive amount of time to fill. We have dinner early and the rest is play time, playing out in the garden, watch a film, crafting, drawing, playing in the bath. All of mine really need the downtime from school.

Mines get the school bus so not back till four but a mix of music practice, homework, trampoline, playing outside.

It’s quite sunny today so probably stay outside for an hour ( the dog will join them) after grabbing a snack, homework, music practice, dinner at 6, chores stack dishwasher, clean table / floor after dinner, put away their own clean laundry, quick tidy of bedrooms then they get about 45 minutes of screen time.

Ours are primary aged and do clubs for an hour twice a week, normally go around someone's house/have someone over once a week, then watch TV or play computer games the other days. If it's dry they spend a lot of time in the garden playing football.

Their screens have always had time limits so they can't spend more than an hour on them a day. Our school doesn't give out homework but assume as they get older this will also be a thing.