Kids going hyper after school... tips please

[unicorn]

Anyone got any good suggestions about how to deal with this?

DD is 5 and ds nearly 3.
When dd returns from school she is tired and watches a bit of telly, but after tea both she and ds go a bit crazy... running around screaming shouting etc. (btw they don't have anything that may make them hyper.. e numbers etc)

They really hype each other up, and ds ends up banging into something etc.
It is driving me crazy and I am not sure how to deal with it.

nb.. dd has never been one to sit and get on with something on her own, and if I try and do something with her, ds wants my attention and disrupts (they both demand 1-1 from me, and that is impossible when they are together)

Any good ideas out there, as by the time dh returns I am usually a stressed out wreck!

Wish I had the answer but just to add, mine are the same ! Will follow with interest...

throw them in the garden

and shut the door

twiglett...especially in the dark/wet??

coat and wellies and a torch

... next problem

I do that when they squabble but it is freezing already here !!

Take them for a runaround in a park after school, on days when the weather is kind.

If your dd still goes hyper at home after that, you could try bringing bathtime forward, (so it'd not just before bedtime) IME a bath is a great way of making children more relaxed.
Then let your dd watch TV, play quietly etc after her bath if she is good, but threaten bed if she isn't.

ours do that at that time of day (and they are only 3 and 1) - usually it is a sign of them being tired. We try and concentrate them on quiet activities (such as reading to them, or watching a wildlife program on TV), and if they are really hyper then pack them off to bed early.

By the way - baths don't relax ours - they get excited by it and whinge like mad when we make them get out - certainly not relaxing .

after tea we have calm down time, ss has to sit on sofa and if his feet touch the ground, its bath immediately then bed, works a treat!

park or walkt he long way home

Unfortunately the nearest park is a bit dodgy to go to alone (dubious people hanging around) and all the other parents just seem to want to get home (their kids can't be as hypeer as mine!)

I like that bath idea tigermoth...altho it will somewhat 'throw' their routine..but I think something has to change as it isn't working at the moment!

Oh sne deffo agree re bringi bath time fwd int h evening in winter -0 I find the htreat of bath makes them disapperar into their rooms for hours!

hope it works for you, unicorn!

My two are just about the same age as yours and I also suffer "hyperactive half-hour" which is more like an hour between teatime and bedtime. I am getting wise to it now though - we sometimes clear the table and play with playdough after tea, or I'll get the colouring books out and have a colouring competition. This madness usually carries on when they are left to their own devices if I am cooking or whatever, if I set them to a project it's quiet for ages!

thanks kbear... good ideas again...
but neither of my 2 have been big on sitting doing colouring or jigsaws etc for any duration...so by the time the playdough is out and played with etc they soon get bored and move on to hyper activity.

so I'm looking for something that is suitable for the 2 different age demands ideally that they can both immerse themselves in...and I haven't found anything yet.

Also.. any special needs people who may be able to help here... when does highly active become hyper active...? I find it a very grey area.

My two are 5 and 7, and have always had this potential to go a bit crazy after school.

Things that have worked for us:
Walk home from school - good long stride for us, and plenty of time to chat.
Good high-carbs snack when we get home.
Careful supervision of 'non-wild' activities pre-teatime. (I always remind them to make "wise choices", the alternative is I make choices for them if they start getting daft.)
They go through phases of coping better when either or both of them has a structured activity: a planned craft activity, or baking with me.
Sometimes one of them gets 20 mins on the PC.
We have early tea - 5 pm, or 4.30 on Blue Peter days, and watch Blue Peter together.
Bath - I agree with other suggestions here: I still put ds2 in the bath before tea about once a week on average, because he is exhausted and starting to get daft.

Finally! Mozart. I do find putting some soothing relaxing music on does help us all (including me) stay calm and focused.

Hope something in there is helpful to you.

cheers Roisin!

Mozart is definately worth a try!
(btw have updated my education thread following headteacher meeting - thanks for tips on that too!!!)