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Original poster

What have you done with your kids after school this afternoon?

59 replies

DontBuyANewMumCashmere · 30/06/2021 17:31

I recently realised I've become quite lazy in the afternoons with my kids - 6yo and nearly 2yo.

I collect DD from school, home by about half 3, snack and maybe a bit of reading, then they're watching TV or tablet while I'm making dinner.

It started off as 'a bit of TV' while I was making dinner now it's often two hours which tbh is sub-optimal parenting!

This evening I thought I'd be a more productive mum, so I got a Toucan box/the arts and crafts box down, DD had a good stab at making smth and DS played with finger painting and raiding his sister's pencil case.

For about ten minutes. Then the toddler is screaming to get down, she's got to wait for smth to dry so is bored whilst waiting, I'm trying to supervise but losing my patience a bit...

What does everyone else do? I know I'm not the only person relying on TV before dinner but I don't think I'm ready to do that every afternoon, plus my two are at different ages and can't often play the same games.

Looking for inspiration!

OP posts:
kayde12 · 30/06/2021 19:06

iPad/ Nintendo switch time for 1 hour
Dinner
Help clean up after dinner (we all chip in as a family to lighten the load)
Reading, homework or timetables practice
Tv and free time
Shower and clean teeth
Reading and quiet time in bedroom
Lights of 8:30

He goes to Cubs once a week on a Tuesday

Ds is 8

kayde12 · 30/06/2021 19:08

Oh and playing in the garden if the weather is nice

soooooooG · 30/06/2021 19:08

I lost my six year old for half an hour as he took himself off for a walk (only down to see our horses so he was easily located) then both children played in the hay barn and climbed trees.

Also a lot of sibling fighting and tbh if the weather is crap (or not crap) they watch tv!

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PlugUgly1980 · 30/06/2021 19:15

3 days they go to after school club until 17:30, we quickly do spellings and reading books, then they play outside or watch their iPads for an hour before bedtime.

The other two nights, we get in have a drink and snack, then do spellings and reading books. I prep tea during my lunch break so it's usually something I can quickly stick in the oven and turn on a pan of veg. In summer we play outside before and after tea until bedtime. When it's cold or wet we do colouring, lego, jigsaws, hot wheels...usually something both can join in (age 5 and 7). I don't like getting painting/craft stuff out after school as it feels like a lot of mess or faff to clean up!

Original poster
DontBuyANewMumCashmere · 30/06/2021 19:44

Thanks all.

We often stay at a playground after school, or play in the garden in warm weather but we haven't for the last week I think.

DD does Rainbows once a week, and swimming but atm it's not on. I usually wouldn't object to screen time after school especially if she's already done some reading, but this week we had a conversation about her possibly quitting Rainbows and the reason she gave was she'd rather just watch TV. Hmm

She went to Rainbows fine and enjoyed it, and probably will stick at it over summer and into next term but I just thought - perhaps we rely on it a bit too much, and should try to do other interesting things.

I don't know if this is normal 6yo behaviour but she gets really into certain programmes at a time, and will watch the entire back catalogue on Netflix/Prime (rather than picking between two channels of after school TV like we had to sniff) and I wonder whether we're kind of encouraging obsessive TV watching?

Ah well. She's happy healthy and doing well at school so it's not a major thing, just felt a bit guilty this week!
Probably back to all afternoon TV tomorrow! Blush

OP posts:
Original poster
DontBuyANewMumCashmere · 30/06/2021 19:46

PS Thanks for all your suggestions, I will try some of them out in the future. DD loves colouring and crafts so perhaps encourage that once or twice a week.

OP posts:
TracysMom · 30/06/2021 19:59

Mine are a nightmare to take anywhere after school! They are just too tired and all they want to do is potter about the garden or their bedrooms. We do some activities but they just like hanging out in house, in their pants!

blondie87 · 30/06/2021 20:04

One had a club, so I took the others for bike ride after a snack. They watched 30 minutes of tv whilst I cooked dinner. The eldest then did homework. Read together then bed.

Juanbablo · 30/06/2021 20:31

They played outside with neighbours children. They mostly played cricket. They spend most of their time out there. They watched tv for a bit after dinner/before bed.

ChocolateHoneycomb · 30/06/2021 21:29

I’m a terrible mother who got home from work at 6.30….

Kids get home about 4.15 most days, our nanny collects them (school ends 3.50) and they do non- screen stuff til 5.15 then TV then dinner. Lego, board games, fighting, garden, older one reads (10). Younger one (5) asks for endless snacks. One day they have swimming after school and one day judo.

I only do one night as work 4 days. .

Di11y · 30/06/2021 21:34

We're home from school by 3:45 and I start dinner at 4:45 so it's only an hour to fill. They usually just snack and play together, bit of homework for 7yo sometimes, but no TV til I'm making dinner. My girls watch all of x series too.

rhowton · 30/06/2021 21:37

Did the hardest rainbow puzzle that I had to actually work on... it says 3+ but I'm 33+ and it took me a little while 😂

Souther · 30/06/2021 21:39

Well today I didn't get back from work til 5.
So their Uncle had collected them from nursery and school. They had been taken to the family takeaway where they were fed and I think raised the freezer- so had ice creams etc.

The dropped off just after 5.
I heeded to buy some buts from the supermarket. So we went and grabbed some bits.
Also the older one had a project she had to do for her mosque, the deadline is this week.
So she did some work on this- painting. Her sister did the same painting. They both made a huge mess. The went up to play while I made some food.
Then fed them again and in bed.

idontlikealdi · 30/06/2021 21:44

Today mine did a couple of sheets of homework, played on the trampoline and I made them walk the dog. They whinged a lot and then dicked about on their iPods for a couple of hours before dinner.

Sometimesonly · 30/06/2021 21:46

We've been on holiday for 3 weeks now but normally it's a mixture of homework, park and tv.

GalesThisMorning · 30/06/2021 21:57

Karate lesson, then played in the garden with his bestie from next door, TV, dinner and playing in the garden, more TV, stories and bed.

Yesterday we were out paddling in the river till 6.30. On a rainy day it might be 2 hours of screen time. I think as long as it's you balance out activities and down time it's fine. We have lots of kids in the street and it's very safe and open which definitely makes it easier to fill the time

DeathMetalMum · 30/06/2021 22:00

Homework, garden, crafts 8 & 10 so can organise themselves, sometimes little jobs such as putting their washing away we pop to the library on the way home every so often also. Then rest of the time TV or their switch or ds's. We have no games consoles on a Saturday currently and other than in the morning no kids TV unless we a watch a film together (usually sport if the TV is on). So I feel this evens out screentime over the week.

BlueLobelia · 30/06/2021 22:04

My dcs are older- 12 and 10. But they usually go home and watch tv be on their devices as their dad has worked from home for eyars. Then i am home at 6, we eat at 6.30-7 and then it is bath, homework and bed.

I'd like to say our weekends are more active but truth is they are not, as we are usually all knackered.

You do not have to schedule fun into every spare moment. downtime and regular ordinary family life is okay too.

TwoZeroTwoZero · 30/06/2021 22:05

I felt shit today and yesterday so I was in bed asleep but for the dc today has been no different from any other day. Dh picked them up from school, as he does every day, fed them and made their pack-ups for tomorrow. Dc 1 watched TV and dc 2 played out with friends. We chatted over their supper and I put them to bed. We don't do much after school at all but they're happy with that.

Nataliefrances123 · 30/06/2021 22:07

Mine have a snack and relax watching TV or ipad until dinner. They are up early, school all day, they want to relax and have some down time.

StressyWoman · 30/06/2021 22:15

Since things have gone back to normal my 8yo does activities 3 days a week after school and swimming at weekends. He needs a lot of physical activity, if he didn’t we’d just stay in most days like I remember doing as a child. I used to be tired after though.

Winkywonkydonkey · 30/06/2021 22:24

DH and I are both WFH so if eldest (6) has done her reading and music practice in the morning she can entertain herself doing crafts or play until we are done at 5:30 and then I go to pick up her sibling (2) from nursery and we have dinner, bath and bed.

If she hasn't done reading and instrument practice then I will stop work and do those things with her and perhaps read to her or play a board game. This does mean I have to log back into work every evening to catch up once they've gone to bed.

Earwigworries · 30/06/2021 22:29

Football club then Tv or PS4 while I made tea and packed lunches , baths and then watching tv together

DaphneDeloresMoorhead · 30/06/2021 22:31

Went down to the yard to ride and turn out the horse

DaphneDeloresMoorhead · 30/06/2021 22:32

Sorry pressed send too soon.

Came home, she played her flute and piano for a bit, mucked about in her bedroom while I made dinner and then went to bed at 8.30pm (she's 11)