What the chuff do you do with your kids in the afternoons?

[Everyonescoughing]

Have a 3 year old and a 6 month old baby.

It is raining and it’s that cold, icy rain. I can’t honestly say being out in it would be fun for anyone but I would brave it if I just had the 3 year old. However, the baby complicates matters. So that’s out.

All the groups are on in the morning. How to fill the 12-5 time slot?

My little ones went to preschool in the afternoons so mornings we would do school drop off for bigger one/ones and then go swimming/softplay/baby gym/toddler group and then do a bit of food shopping or something in the morning and then preschool in the afternoon. Worked well as we were up and about anyway and then the afternoons I could just chill out!

Are there no groups in the afternoon at all? There was a lovely group near me on a Thursday afternoon finished at 2.45 for anyone who needed to pick up primary school children. It was my favourite as it filled that time perfectly - otherwise the afternoon used to go on forever.

A walk to the library was also a favourite, maybe visit different libraries? The one in our local town is fab, cold combine it with a bus ride.

Indoor stuff:

Toy rotation
Having them help make snowflake decorations
Window / bath paint
Playing at the sink with bubbles
Playdoh

But I agree with others about any outing just to have a change of scene. I used to do a UST - Useless Shopping Trip - and emerge from Tesco with one tomato sometimes.

Can I also make you feel better by letting you know that I had a preschooler and newborn twins? So the whinge was real.

Mine wasn't quite old enough for films at that age, but if you have Netflix there are three longer Octonauts episodes/films which kept him absolutely gripped. They're about 45 mins-1.5 hours.

Otherwise yes, I would absolutely get him into a pre-school as they'll do bigger, messy play that you either can't or wouldn't attempt with a baby as well.

And an early evening walk is always popular here, unless the weather is absolutely disgusting. We used to pop into our local cathedral too, something about being in there at 'night' (actually 4pm) with it all lit up was very exciting.

@LinguisticallyCunning it is not an obsession, it’s a question. Using their imagination for hours is a lot for very small children.

I knew someone would suggest jumping in puddles. It’s not really practical because

1. we live on a country lane with no pavements. To safely jump in puddles we’d need to drive somewhere.
2. and then be soaked and cold
3. the baby hates the raincover on the pram
4. and we’d be soaked and cold
5. and I don’t want to because we’d be soaked and cold
6. and no
7. and we’d be soaked and cold

Theres no crèche at our pool - we used to be members of a gym with a crèche so it’s possible I could see about rejoining there, it’s expensive though and quite a long way from where we currently live. But I am glad it isn’t just me who struggles with this!

Also not all kids love going out in the rain. I'd have sucked it up and done it if mine did but they just whinge if I tried. It's miserable for everyone.

I couldn't avoid going out in bad weather because the dog needed a walk every day regardless, I either just stuck the rain cover on the buggy or when she was older I got her a set of waterproof trousers and coat and went out to play in puddles.

I have a three year old and a one year old. If we have an afternoon with no groups etc then I alternate playing with them/ reading to them/ doing jobs they can join in with (e.g. dusting, putting the washing away) and them playing by themselves to break the afternoon up while I either do jobs they can't join in with or have a brief break - I'll often have a book on the go for my breaks - I like reading and it's good for them to see you reading (sometimes the three year old comes to sit by me on the sofa with a book of her own for a bit). The three year old also likes helping with dinner (and happily the one year old is happy to play by herself in the living room, which is safe for her, while we do it.)

go find some puddles
painting
baking

Just seen you don't want to play in puddles oops.

same, also had a dog

oops
no to puddles then

can they play in the bath?

That’s why I don’t have a dog @CharlottePimpernel 😂

Tbh even if we did on days like today I’d have to delegate that task, it really is miserable out.

Pushed lunch and then nap back later to take up a nice big chunk of that time - so nap was about 2-4pm for a while. Kid dropped naps at 4yo. Meant I got a nice afternoon of reading or doing something I wanted to.

So that meant hardly any time left to fill.

I remember these days. Can you visit family? Sounds strange but do you know anyone who lives in a care home or anyone who works in one? Im a nurse in one and we love little children visiting. I used to take mine in all the time on my days off/mat leave. They'd nurse the baby and chat with my toddler. It really brightened their day. You could potentially volunteer?

Always a walk.
Play on swings in the park.
Most often they played at home, made stuff, read books, watched a bit of tv.
Or
Library- renew books.
Cafe for cuppa and cake.
Shopping.
Visit family.

As we went into the period of nap dropping she'd sometimes have one and sometimes not. Basically we'd put the Groclock on in her room until 4pm and it was up to her whether she napped, played or looked at a book.

Meant she got really good at independent play and no need for loads of interaction and looking for stuff to do.

I don’t have any family 😭 and DHs are miles away. There is a lovely cafe that’s very child friendly but it’s Wednesday-Saturday openings. We’ll probably end up at the library but have to admit it’s not being used for its intended purpose.

i remember these days. They drag! Also had an afternoon preschool slot for the 3 year old, so could do a playgroup in the morning then pre school 12-3 for her. 3-5 is easier to fill.

afternoon bath? Kids could spend hours playing in the bath, especially with bath paints/coloured ice cubes to melt etc.

My afternoons were transformed by the purchase of a small plug in disco ball. Shut the curtains, kids dance music on, party time! My DC used to love it on a wet afternoon.

I have 2 kids the same ages, it's a lovely age difference 😊

My 3yo dropped naps at 2, they don't danger nap in the car now if we chat and sing songs in the car 😊

in the afternoons we get go to the library, take the bus, take thr train (we have coats and puddle suits and Welly boots so not too bothered of we get wet), go to a shopping centre so we can roam indoors, soft play, garden centres (thebones near us have lovely cafes and often a littlr play space), at home we bake or chop and prep dinner, wash up (3yo absolutely loves washing the baby's cup and bib) and do general chores at home. We have a sock fight, take the cushions off the sofa, build a den with bedsheets, jump on the bed, play floor is lava, paint/craft/draw, lots of general silliness 😂

Recently my 3yo has started showing an interest in board games, actual board games as well as the smelly Welly types or orchard games. We had Scrabble out this week and enjoyed making a slide for the letters! Anything with a dice is a big hit, too.

Honestly just book her into the local Preschool for afternoons. In England its free anyways.

Do things at home including letting them be bored quite frankly. They have toys right? Perhaps in an afternoon do an hour of structured activity mid pm like baking, painting etc otherwise they play with toys, dress up etc, then when you need to make dinner put the tv on. Also get on and do housework and get them to "help"

It was quite normal to only do groups a couple of times a week when mine were under 3 then they did half day (3 hour) preschool

Get yourself a tufftray - ours was brilliant when D's was 3 and we still use if for messy things at 5. It was the only thing that would buy me half an hour for a cuppa - squirt some shaving foam and pop toys in, kinetic sand, fake snow, slime stuff, paint and cars to make tracks or even edible things like cold pasta etc so little one can have a go.

Then a nice long bath (we did disco baths - lights off, glow sticks in a music on)

Then dinner and chill