What do your children do after school/while you make dinner?

[PlumpAndGrump]

Particularly interested in responses from families with ND children as I have 3, 2 of which are ND.

In my house there is just no chill. They bicker and fight. They won't just chill and watch tv, we limit screens so only console at weekend and tablets are for homework only. They start a task like colouring or a puzzle and abandon quickly. They play out on bikes or with the ball but again get bored quickly or bicker.

We do homework and they sometimes want to help make dinner, but the "free" time they have is just... chaos.

what happens in your house? And any tips please?

The children I am referring to are both boys, 6 and 10.

Could you make things easier by batch cooking/slow cooking? Then you could maybe keep them occupied and it’s just case of serving up food. I started doing it before Christmas and it’s honestly changed my evenings. Little washing up, no more moaning about how starving they are every 5 mins, and so much more time to myself by sacrificing 1 evening a week to cook everything.

We don't allow screens. DD is usually playing with her basketball hoop/whacking a tennis ball against the wall/riding her bike or if the weather is bad, drawing, colouring, friendship bracelets/whatever other crafty thing is taking over the living room coffee table that week.