To ask for examples of your after school routines?

[Corblimeyguvnor1]

The past year has thrown all sense of routine out the window but now my 2 primary DC are back in school, I want to get back on track.

I'm struggling with after school. They are OBSESSED with Minecraft and would happily sit on screens from the moment they get in til the moment they go to bed which obviously, I don't want.

At the moment, we let them have 1 hour playing games on their tablets as soon as they get in. I feel like it's good for them to be able to do something they enjoy to wind down after a day at school rather than make them do extra school work/read etc the minute they get in the door. But after that, they just want to sit and watch TV - and to be honest, that's often the easiest option as it means I can get on with dinner etc. Homework is done at the weekends - they're quite happy doing it then.

What do other people do? I don't want them on screens all afternoon but they just whinge and moan they're bored which I'm not one to give in to but I need to give them alternatives. When you set 'screen time' does that include ALL screens - devices and TV? What other things do your kids do at home after school? They have clubs but these haven't started up again yet.

We play board games, DS reads his reading book out loud to me and practise spellings. He usually plays Nintendo or watches YouTube around 5pm while I start dinner so probably has about 90 minutes of screen time. Then bath and he's in bed for 7.30.

My ds9 isn't allowed computer games after school mon-fri as he is addicted and obsessed! I notice they really change his behaviour. He can earn gaming tokens for Friday-Sunday though.

After school he comes home and watches a bit of tele and has a snack.

Will have dinner, bath, read and bed.

We get in at 3.45 as we’re really close to school. There’s a drink and something to eat at the table and they usually mooch about a bit. They have their tablets at 4.30-5.15, although if they’re playing they don’t. Then tea at 5.30, bath at 6, telly for a bit then bed. In the summer they’re quite happy to play in the garden.

Pick up 3:30
Park until 4:30 or she is climbing the walls.
Maybe even 5 if it's nice weather and she is playing nicely.
Home for tea. Simpsons. Bath and bed.
Reading if she wont fight me.
Usually some quiet colouring too

I have a year 2, reception and a 4 year old that starts school this year. Tends to be just me and them at home after school as my partner works evenings.

Generally -
Home at 3ish
Snack
Reading books and then they are allowed on their tablets for an hour or so while I do some work.
They eat between 4.30/ 5ish
Bath for the little two, shower for the older one at 6, book and in bed by 7.

Walk home (a bit of exercise- they would prefer to drive)
Snack and screens
Tea then back to screens
630 bath, chat, educational game/read together
800 read independently
900 lights out

Minecraft is a pretty good use of time IMO

Get changed, have a snack.
Either watch TV or plays in the garden if the weather is nice. Although TV is on they usually do puzzles or play with Barbies or Lego or something at the same time. I don't mind them watching TV though as given the choice that is what I would do when I get in from work!
Often some or all of the dcs will help make dinner and lay the table.
After tea it's spellings, reading, music practice etc. We usually have time for a board game or something too. Then bath and bed by 7.30. Older dd will read or draw in her room for 10 mins or so before asking to be tucked in.

On a nice day we will go to the park for an hour after school and next month we go straight to swimming lessons on a Wednesday.

If we come straight home Ds1 age 7 does his homework when he gets in, although sometimes it’s just spellings. The tv gets switched on at 4 so I can have a cup of tv and start on the dinner. I have yet to manage cooking dinner without the use of children’s tv. TV back off for dinner and then we will often play a board game. Tonight ds1 has beavers over zoom. They have a bath and then they are in bed at 7 after bedtime stories. I let both stay up a little later on a Friday night to watch a film after dinner with some sweets.

I don’t allow any video games during the week as ds1’s behaviour declines with too much gaming time and he has to earn the gaming time at the weekend during the week.

Totally depends. If the weather is nice then the park, if not then home and play Lego, board games or whatever really. Tablet or tv before dinner. Although if they're really tired which they often are at the moment then we do have whole afternoons of tv tbh, it's just downtime that we all need.

Before lockdown it was 1 hour of screens after school, but now I usually just let them on their screens between when they get home at 3.30/4 until dinner at around 6. They usually zoom with their friends while they play minecraft, and as we cant have playdates at the moment that seems fine.
I think there is a difference between watching you tube rubbish, or playing a decent game like minecraft. I'm happy to hear them chatting to their friends while they play. Amoung Us is also popular. They are 8 & 10.
If the weather is nice they will also go into the garden/trampoline, and about once a week we go to the park after school.
Not usually any screens after dinner, as its bath/reading but sometimes we all watch the Simsons together.

I feel bad that there is so much screen time after school. Hoping it lessons as the weather improves.

Get home for 3:30, get changed, ipad,mooch about till 4. At 4 it's reading/spellings whatever task she might have. As soon as that's done ipad/phonecalls with friends.

Dinner at 5 together. When she's done it depends. We might do something together, we keep talking about her day etc.

7 starts quiet time chilling with videos(w lot of the time we watch it together) and cuddles/hanging out in my bed.

8 screens away and she does a bit of reading or colouring or playing with her toys or she's still talking.

8:30 lights out.

She's 9

My 4DC all play together until dinner and then after that they read and go to bed.
They can play on the switch on a Wednesday (no school and can have half an hour each but they often pair up to have an hour on their game).

We save tv for the weekend.

They are 6,7,10&12

For my DD days vary as music lessons and some sports were able to switch to online, so that occupies 1 hour four days a week.

But typically: walk home via the park, get home by 4.15pm unless it is raining, in which case straight home. Snack, drink, iPad is the very first thing to happen. Then stop and play for a bit before tea at 5pm. Online club is usually around 5.30pm.

Then it is spellings, and tables. Then iPad for a bit again, usually Zooming a friend or two to chat at the same time. Then play again, or watch some TV as a family when daddy gets home, then bath and reading before bed. (She is supposed to read aloud but hates it, so we only do that at the weekend. Homework gets done at the weekend.)

We have had to accept a LOT more screentime than before lockdown, as it seems cruel to go cold turkey. Once it is warm and sunny, we will be out in the garden a lot more.

If I'm honest I'd rather my 6 year old play Minecraft than watch teli. We get in around 4ish (walk home when I'm not working), have a snack and a drink while he chats about school. Then he plays on his iPad (normally Minecraft haha) until 5:30ish. Eats dinner and then bath, lots of reading and then bed for around 7/7:30ish.

Following as our routine is all to cock at the moment. It's not working but we can't work out how else to fit everything in... I think we need to move dinner and bed forward an hour for our 4yo (currently dinner with us 6-6.30 followed by bath and stories and asleep by 8) but DP can't countenance either eating any earlier himself or having to do dinner twice every evening (and we want to sit down with he'd when she eats).

I don't think there is a right and wrong just what works for you. Mine come in and get changed and do whatever they want until 6pm (that's usually screen time though). 6pm dinner and then we all chat, watch TV (homes, travel programmes, Mastercard, usually an "adult" programme etc) and school reading, tt rockstars etc.

They normally have Brownies on a Monday night and swimming Fridays, both currently closed.

We normally have technology free Tuesday and Thursday but we haven't started that again yet, that Will start after Easter.

A lot of their online time they chat to my nephew of the same age who lives with my parents and play games together. It's important to me that they have a close relationship in case he ever needs to come and live with us. Two DDs 8 and 10

We don’t have devices during the week. After school it’s park with friends unless it’s raining, then playing at home till dinner time then bath and reading. Playing includes art & craft/board games/Hama beads/playmobil/dolls. If they aren’t playing they are generally helping me make dinner which a couple of them really enjoy. Sometimes it’s some TV but we generally forget to put it on as have got in to doing something. I utilise the slow cooker regularly too.

Mine are teens now, but we did something after school every day, for my sanity more than anything else- who wants to be stuck at home from 3:30 onwards. It varried but something like;
Monday - libary
Tuesday- Ballet Dd, park DS
Wednesday -Riding
Thursday Football DS, park Dd
Friday-Swimming

In Covid times I think I'd have to go the park at least 3X a week. Snack was straight after school, dinner at 6-7. Bed 7:30 (infants) 8-8:30 juniors.

So activity 3:30-5
Screens/ bit of reading/ homework 5-6
Dinner 6-7
Clear dinner/bath/ bed 7-8

I don’t let mine on games Monday to Thursday because they are obsessed and they just nag the second they get out of school. They generally just crash and watch tv. We have a 15 minute walk home and they’re usually too tired to do much else.

We get in at 4.00 then usually while I'm sorting tea we chat , he might grab a book or a little toy to play with. Twice a week we do school reading books. My husband gets in at 5.00 so we have tea then and I read a few chapters of a book, then my husband reads a few chapters of a different book. We then all play board games and he is usually in bed for 7.00 asleep about 7.30. On Monday he does beavers on zoom for an hour which he loves.

Pick up is 3:30-4:00pm depending on what time I started work in the morning, when I have picked him up we had to the park for 30-40 minutes. When we get home he washes his hands/face and changes out of uniform, this usually takes us to 5pm.

He then has telly time (30 mins a day) and will often watch TV while I cook dinner, other times he will help me cook, play with lego etc.

After dinner I don’t like doing anything exciting as that would be poor sleep hygiene, so we do things like drawing, colouring, reading, puzzles etc before bath time. As bed time is 7:15 he isn’t allowed on screens after 6:15 on school nights. Luckily he is only 5 so fairly easy to entertain, I know that won’t last much longer.

His screen time of 30 minutes does include all screens, he isn’t hugely into them at the minute so he doesn’t always use his 30 minutes, I’m convinced he is storing them up for when hes a teen who does nothing but game.

Fight through the traffic to get home about 3.45
Get changed, empty lunch boxes, have a snack.
Disappear into their rooms or playroom to read or play, or go in the garden. Sometimes vthey do board games or craft or Lego needing help.
I start cooking around 5.30-6.00 depending on meal, with dinner at 6.30. DH usually home around 6. Then showers and TV until bed.
Only variation at the moment is Zoom Cubs on a Tuesday at 6.30, so dinner is earlier.
Tablets may make a 30min appearance.

We used to have Swimming, and school clubs to break up the week. But not at the moment. Hopefully soon. They are eyeing up cricket in the Summer too.

9 year old finishes at 3.05, 4.00, 11.45, 11.45, 11.45; 11 year old 4.00, 3.05, 11.45, 3.05, 11.45.

On the day one is home earlier than the other we look at homework, revise for tests.
Snack at 4.15 when the other is home, homework, music practice, yoga and then they can play until dinner. If everything is done and they're showered and in pj's they can have tv after 5.30 until we eat at 630. Except for the day there's sport club and we eat at 530 and one DC is out 6.15-7.50, then the other can watch tv until bed time.

When they finish at 11.45, we have lunch then spend an hour - one and a half on homework, music, teaching them to type. Then they go out to play or Lego, craft etc. Again tv after 5.30 if everything is done.

They earn points for homework, sport and reading to us before bed which they exchange for screen time at the weekend.

Bed for the 9 year old at 730, 11 year old 745.

At the moment they're using all their "free" time to read. But they go through phases of Lego, jigsaws, craft, colouring, playmobil and whining. Occasionally board games together. DD is back into her writing books phase at the moment.

Mine are probably younger than yours so still unaware of Minecraft.

Two after school clubs per week (only ones that have reopened), then once home feed them. After that tv/play and we go for a walk. Back home to start bath time, reading, bedtime.