Do you do stuff with your kids after school?

[SheABitSpicyToday]

Or do they just crack on by themselves? I have a 7 year old and I’ve just realised we don’t really do anything after school together. She comes home, gets dressed and either heads on out with her friends or plays in her room, reads, plays Pokémon etc. She doesn’t mind and we do plenty together at weekends and have the odd movie night in my bed but I just feel a bit guilty!

No not really, ds is 8. When we get home from school we do school reading then he will play on his ps5 with his friends online for an hour or so. 3 days a week he has karate so it’s early tea and karate then home shower and bedtime hour, nights he doesn’t have karate he tends to either stay on his ps5 a little longer or entertain himself. Bedtime routine normally now consists of picking a board game or tvshow/movie for 45 minutes then a supper and story/chat in his bedroom before he goes to sleep.
He doesn’t really play with toys much anymore but I am in the dreaded mumsnet house of technology where my kids have tv’s, iPads, ps5, switch and pc as that is what they are interested in 🤷🏻‍♀️

7 year old here, 1 night a week she does Brownies, otherwise nothing. She's not allowed to play outside so it's come home, play with toys, eat, maybe a bit of tablet time.

Dd is 7 and we don't do anything either. She's always shattered after school so has some wind down time and plays on her iPad for a bit while I do some jobs, then it's near enough tea time.

Mine flop in front of the telly like deflated lilos

Football club after school 3x a week (school club, club club and academy) hockey club 1x week plus reading each night and about 20-30 mins homework. Friday he can chill. He's super sporty though, age 7. If he were asking to chill at home more we would but he loves his activities. Maybe find a balance with one or two things after school.

No ..they watch TV, play, sit on phones...I make dinner. Why do you feel guilty? Wouldn't occur to me to feel guilty! I'm not a kids entertainer,I'm their mum.

No. they don’t play out either as we live on a main road

Dd does Rainbows one night and swimming one night. If the weather is ok then we go to the park after school, but it's right next door to school. Apart from that we just come home and the kids play here.

Yeah, we take them to their after school activities and whichever one is at an activity we will either go for a walk with them or get a hot chocolate etc. One evening a week they have no activities so we go for a family bike ride, swim or kayak etc

Mine are 6 and 8

Not really. We might walk the dog, or tonight we need to go out and get a few bits for cub camp, but otherwise it's either clubs or free time.

Which ever one ISN'T at the activity I mean

DD is 6 - she does swimming, ballet and football after school. Rest of time she plays at home or we do school reading together. A bit of TV. Most kids are tired after a full on school day, don’t think they need special entertainment. We usually take her swimming or to the library at weekends or have days out walking etc

We try to limit screens so do as much out and about as possible. Today we did handstands and played hide and seek in the park, they'll come running with the dogs later. They have cross country, swimming and gymnastics clubs after school and they are allowed to play out with friends too.

We have some kind of sports/ scouting type activity several times a week, but if they're in the house, that's their own time to unwind and entertain themselves.

Not really. DH and I are still working when they get home, so they either chill and watch TV/laptop time, or go to the park or out to play with friends in the street. Obviously we're around for a chat, help make snack etc, and one night a week we'll do homework.

Not really. I tend to still be working until they have tea. We all sit downstairs together, but currently one is watching TV and one is playing in the garden.

I do make the effort to do something with them after tea though.

My 8 and 6 year olds just play together, or read, or watch TV. They have activities after school 3 nights a week so the nights at home they just chill out.
I do their spellings with them, and they have a piece of homework a week.
They’re not allowed out to play with friends yet, and none of their friends play out anyway so no one to play with!

How lovely you live somewhere they can pop out with friends. This is ideal at that age. Exercise play and fresh air without adult helicopter parenting

Sadly lots of roads too busy with cars fir that. I think what you are describing sounds ideal.

Not really. We look at their homework, one does music practice, then they scarper to their rooms or out to play with the neighbours' children. I assume they'll stay in more and we might get out a jigsaw puzzle or a couple of board games once the weather gets worse and it gets dark earlier.

Odd bit of reading/spelling practice, if it's dry she might ask us to take her on her scooter, Rainbows one night, other than that she chills in front of the tv or plays while we prep and cook dinner/continue to work