Year 8 after school routine

[2025MUM2025]

What does your 12 year old do after school?
I am trying to implement some sort of structure for my DC.

I think it feels to DH that whenever my DH sees DC, they are always on their phone. But that’s cause we were allowing screen time / phones / whatever until dinner at 6pm.
Then after dinner we tend to hang out together with our other DC.

We say no screens after 6pm so that gives DC about 2-2.5 hours after school.

Mine does a sports club straight from school 3 days a week so gets home at 6.15 on those days. Then it’s dinner, homework, piano practice and bed. One day she goes to the school library after school until I can pick her up at 5.15, so again she’s home around 6. Friday she gets the bus home so back at 5.15pm and we have pizza and games night.

My year 8 is in bed with lights out at 9 because she has to get up at 6 and needs 9 hours sleep. Some kids just need more sleep than others.
She’s always busy, she’s on an academic and sports scholarship at school so never stops. She needs her sleep!

My routine as a 12 year old 37 years ago now!
Come home from school, bicker and fight with younger brother generally over who had possession of the remote control!
Home and away then Neighbours.
Tea then reluctantly do homework.
Shower.
More telly then bed.

Tuesday had guides and I think Wednesday was my violin lesson.

How times have changed!

Times always do!

All their sports things started at 7.30pm and so when they came home they were really tired from that and doing homework whilst tired is not great.

The homework slot worked well for a couple of reasons, homework is done before they have had chance to go on their phones which means they are not having to come off their phones which is hard for them to do. The widening their education using Youtube sets them up for GCSE years when school actively encourage certain Youtube channels which help them with revision. The widening also helps them to understand their subject well and helps them excel. My children have done their GCSEs and A levels.

@BugJuice my youngest child is 3 years younger than his brother and went to bed later than his brother. My eldest always needed more sleep and used to lie to his mates about his bedtime. He told them we took his phone off him at 9pm but he was actually heading to bed at that time. People are really judgemental about sleep, like going to bed early as a adult is seen as sensible but lying in of a morning is seen as lazy. It is just about getting the right amount of sleep for the person. What I wanted, and got, was two secondary aged children being able to get themselves up in the morning and also being chirpy as opposed to tired and miserable

Mine does the same, she tells her friends that her phone is set to lock down at a certain time but actually she just goes to bed!
It’s weird isn’t it? Sleep is so important, but some people are so weirdly judgemental about kids going to bed when they personally need to go to bed. My eldest knows how much sleep she needs to function (and not be grumpy!) so she’d rather make sure she gets it than spend another hour watching TV etc.
My 7 year old on the other hand is autistic and appears to need no sleep whatsoever 😭

Rugby training twice a week, football training once a week. Goes out on his bike with friends if the weather is ok. Other days just chilling at home, homework, helps me cook tea sometimes.

@BugJuice the bright side is at least you only have 1 non sleeper. And yes lying about bedtimes is mad but has to be done to save their reputation with their mates. It is a weird shift from teens staying up late to being an adult and getting to bed early.

My youngest is at uni, gets up at 5am to start his day. His last lectures start at 6pm and last an hour. He then comes back to his room, cooks dinner then chills out. Some uni work is done before lectures start at 9am because in his words my brain is more alive in the morning.

Y7 and y9 kids

Get home from school run at 4.15ish, depending on traffic. Because its a long school run, they have a snack in the car

Get changed. Do any homework (usually 2 or 3 short online quizzes a week, 20 mins max).

Weather is good - they go and play out - football, scooters, bikes. Sometimes meet their friend from the village and go into the village.

Weather is bad - chill with phones or computers. Y9 kid likes to go and hang out with big brother in his room listening to music etc.

Dinner at 6.30ish

They take it in turns washing up and drying up after dinner.

Chill again or go out until 8.30 when its showers and bedroom for sleep at 10pm.

Finish school at 4pm, straight to homework club until 4.30/4.45, home and changed, back out to horses until 6.30ish, dinner at 7pm, pack bag and make lunch for next day, tv/screens/rotting until 8.30, shower, in bedroom by 9pm, lights out 9.45pm.
Homework club is great, gets it mostly out of the way before coming home so the “stress” of it sort of gets left at school.

I think school is exhausting enough for children, so after school my 12 year old will have a snack, get changed and either meet her friends to play out 1-2 times a week the rest of the time they chill and do what they like as they have already spent 7.5 hours a day learning. Weekends for any activities wanting to do and homework

DS home from school at 5.30 (has activity at school 4/5 days) has tea and plays out with neighbours on bikes usually
then martial art one day and football one day.
sots and stares at phone if not playing out and usually does homework on a weekend (between fixtures and family time!) it’s a lot

DD often had homework due the day after next so no way she could delay everything to the weekend.

I also preferred doing things as a family on the weekend instead of her sitting and doing schoolwork.

How do you end up with 7.5 hours? DD had 5 sessions per day, first 1 session = 45 minutes and then later 1 session. = 1 hour, so a max of 5 hours or so.

Mine always try and finish their homework in the week so that afternoons are just for fun/chilling.
Mine have a long school day, 8.40am-4pm, but it’s still only 5 hours of actual lessons. 7.5 hours of learning would definitely be a lot!