what do your school aged kids do after school?

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My oldest is now at school and goes to after school club. Not sure what I pictured but it just feels like such a repetitive juggle during the week. One of us picks up DC from the after school club at 5pm, quick homework, a bit of play, bath, 15mins cartoons, dinner and bedtime routine, lights out at 7.30. Ok thats only four days a week but just seems really humdrum and a bit dull. Is everyone else's the same?

2DC, both in infants.
Home by 4pm latest followed by shower, meal and homework (both get 20mins/day). Out for activities around 5ish (gymnastics/rainbows/dance/swimming depending on day). Snack, relax and reading when home then bed by 7.30 too

DS1 in yr4 and DS2 in yr1 come home from after school club at 5-ish, we sit about, have a snack and a chat about the day, who got in trouble, who said what to whom, then they will usually play or draw for a bit until 6.30-ish when they will start moaning about watching telly, which they will do for, if I’m honest, about an hour, then in the shower, everybody reads in our bed together until bed time around 8-ish.
Its very hum drum and boring, but that is childhood for you! DS1 does do various after school clubs and extra curriculars, but they come and go. He also does Cubs, once a week which tbh is a fucking nightmare, safeguarding black spot, and takes place way too late in the evening for the target age group.

Was childhood always so hum drum? We both work full time so kids will always have to be in after school club at least three/four times a week.

Age 5. Finishes at 3.10pm

If there's time we go to the park on the way home. Playing and TV. Sometimes this is at my mum's house.

Eat dinner at around 6. Bathtime by 6.30. He reads his school book to me and I read him a chapter or two of a novel. Bed by 7.30pm.

I think this was tongue in cheek....

Well, at least I hope so...

I think there was a bit of a golden age in the 70's/80's when children did a lot more unstructured "playing out". TBH I think ASC represents the best replication of this freedom. Ours had free run of the playground before being called in at 4:30 for something to eat.

No I don’t think it was always like this, twice a week I was collected from school by grandparents, the rest of the time I had a parent at home after school so there was play dates, playing out in the garden or street, brownies/cubs.
Very different times now when two full time wages are required to keep afloat.
My kids have done 7.30/8-5.45/6 in childcare 5 days a week since DC2 was 3, DC1 6/7. They eat all meals at school so when they were 4 it was just bath and bed at home every night.

I was thinking about posting about something similar. DS has just turned 5 and goes to after school club four days, which is at DD's nursery. I get them at about 5.00, walk home chatting to DS, and then need to sort out food while they play/wind each other up or watch tv (and get upset waiting for food). Still tend to bf DD so need to fit that in as well while food's cooking. DH gets home just before 7 and then bit of playing and we each take one to get ready for bed and read to. We're trying to give them each a bit of focused time but still feels rubbish and like we're missing out on decent time with both of them - have plenty of things I'd love to do with each of them but that doesn't seem possible and playing all together doesn't really work. And no idea how we'll be able to fit in activities etc. So just wanted to say you're not alone, and after after-school club does feel a bit rubbish.

Yes, DS used to be in nursery since 11 months old. But he usually had his tea there and there was obviously no homework. So it somehow felt a lot freer.

We've barely had any after school playdates, one or two on a Friday though we did use to go to the park before swimming.

Weekends are also a mad rush between us catching up on stuff, seeing friends with their kids, DS's activities that the baby comes along to and then very occasional school playdates or birthday parties.

If your kids are in after school clubs then when do you fit playdates in with their friends from school?

He's never been invited to anyone's house for a play date, and only 2 birthday parties (whole class were invited) since we moved here. Another reason why I try to get him to do lots of activities as he's always telling me, supported by his teachers, he has no friends.

7.30 sounds fine for reception. But get used to this. I have one still in primary school, DH and I both work full time. She does sports and brownies on Tuesdays, sports on Thursdays and gymnastics on Fridays. Nothing on Mondays and Wednesdays. But DC1 has music lessons and guides on Mondays and a club on Wednesdays. So essentially we are doing something every night after school.

Age 9 finishes school at 3.15, and 2.15 on Fridays
Monday - singing (summer) 3.45-4.25 swimming 6-6.30
Tuesday- dance 5.45-645
Wednesday- dance 3.45-4.25
Thursday- dance 4 25- 5.30
Friday- nothing!
In between these times it's dinner, homework if not already done, free time usually on ipad playing roblox/reading/youtube/drawing/writing
Bath or shower, I'll read her a story/chapter before bed around 8pm on school nights 9pm weekend.

Monday
School .... at 6pm we pick ds up from choir. DS goes home in the car with his other mum and I. Dh does his homework, has 30 minutes phone and TV break. Reads. Eats dinner and goes to bed at 9:30. Wakes up at 7pm
Tuesday school... no club so finish at 4pm. Same routine as Monday except 1 hour on phone and TV
Wednesday is the same as Tuesday
Thursday
School.... 7pm theatre school pick up, go home does homework ,eats no screen and bed at 9:45
Friday
School.... 7:15 pm pickup from dh boyfriends house, goes home, same routine as usual, 2hours and fifty five minutes screens, bed at 10:00pm

14 years old----

This is a wind up, yes???

teenagers
monday to Thursday they do homework and mooch/read/chores/prep supper/spend time as a family…we have so many board games and they love them
a bit of exercise, run with dog/other dog walking job

Friday/Saturday everything from rock climbing club to theatre school to sleepovers to cinema etc

like spending time with them baking talking planning stuff
I want them to leave home after school and have no regrets about not spending time with them

DD6 doesn’t do after school club. She does ballet, French, gymnastics and tennis after school on different nights after school and a swimming lesson at the weekend. Every half term I ask if she wants to carry on or give anything up and she insists that she loves them all!

Sounds about right to me! Ours have been in wraparound from 7:45-5ish since they were 1. We both teach full time so that’s how it is 🤷‍♀️ they seem to have survived
we have piano/cubs/ballet that get us actually back in the house by 6:30/7 but they’re aged 7, 9 and 10 now. We’re normally trying to eat something around those times and aim to get them all in bed by 8:30. Older ones read for a bit. It was earlier when they were younger and clubs weren’t so late
ultimately, it is a bit humdrum. We just try to enjoy the bits of it we can!

Mine do clubs a few nights a week (brownies, gymnastics and drama club), otherwise it’s music practice, homework, reading, spellings, screen time, the odd craft activity, play dates etc. It is all pretty humdrum! Better in the summer when we can go to the park after school.

Oh and eating dinner/showers etc. Always seems rushed!

Our yr1 5 year old goes to bed at 18.30.

We are home tad earlier but basically yes, they come home, get changed, play, have tea, wind down, books bed for 18.30.

He has scouts one night a week until 18.00 so bed a bit later.

He has a bath, 2 nights a week.

They are still so young to even be at school, we try to just enjoy our time with them when we can and let them enjoy theirs when they've finished for the day.

Posted this in the wrong thing so sorry

Goodness that seems a lot!

Oh we have a catch up with a friend once a week, but only for an hour.

Our two primary aged DC also in asc until 5-5.30 3 days a week. On the other 2 days we get home and they play/watch tv/colour for an hour whilst we finish off work then family tea around 5.30pm, followed by playing, bath and bed. Once a week we have an evening club which finishes at 7 but can’t fit in anything else. Id love to work shorter hours and do play dates, trips to park etc but need two FT salaries really.