after school mindees

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What do your 5/6 year old after school mindees enjoy doing? And what are their favourite meals. Until now i have only minded toddlers during the day and want to make sure my after school mindees have a nice time too.

I have after schoolies 3 nights a week and tend to do 1 pasta meal (Bolognese or macaroni cheese both with veg in) 1 rice based meal veggie rice plus marinated chicken or fish and then some sort of casserole. Occasionally I'll do sausages or homemade pizza but with lots of children it does get pricey unless you buy the really bleurgh cheap ones

I have 4, 5 & 7 yr old boys who enjoy playing games like top trumps (superheroes is most popular!) or snakes & ladders, operation, ludo; Lego - playing with the figures & planes, Star Wars battleships etc rather than actually sitting & building; love den making either with sheets & chairs in the living room or in the garden under the trees; table football is very well used & if I don't have any little ones to look after & get everything out & ready they will sit at the table occasionally and do some junk modelling or play dough.
No help if you have girls as the only times I have girls they always sit beautifully for ages doing card making or drawing

I have after school children 2 days per week. If the weather is nice we sometimes go to the park on the way home from school for them to burn off some energy. They tend to run off and play upstairs with my 2 dds (aged 8 and 5). They seem to mostly dress up in each other's clothes and design dance routines.

I cook things like spaghetti bolognaise, cottage pie, roast chicken, risotto, sausage and mash/toad in the hole, fish pie etc and give yoghurt and fruit, or sometimes ice lollies afterwards.

I have after schoolers for 3 days and mine are all girls. They like to read, dress up, do drawing, colouring or on bad weather days, watch a film. If its nice, we might go to the park or they'll play outside on the trampoline, scooters, etc.

Dinners are usually pasta based as they are all ridiculously fussy eaters and all like different things.

I cook meals for my Dh to use for his mindees plus our 2 boys and plan them on a weekly basis. This week for example I am making a lasagne, fahitas and rice, sesame seed chicken and sausage, mash and brocolli. Last week I made a sweet potato and chicken curry, spicy sausage pasta bake, hotpot and veg, and chilli. Friday is a "fun" day and tends to be things like burgers or pizzas.

Thanks for the replies. They are 2 girls age 5 and 6. I think i will do a craft activity along with toys. We have a wii but need to check with parents about that. Do you do snack when you pick them up? What sort of things? Thanks.

Drawing, Hama beads are a huge hit here for girls and boys and lots of orchard games.!

I used to do a sizeable snack of fruit plus biscuits/cake/pancakes etc but have realised that it's better to do tea earlier - say 4:45 latest 5 so they have finished, can have a last play & still be ready to go by 6, then a piece of fruit & a drink is fine and saves a fortune! I usually do a plate of mixed fruit to share cut up ready just before the school run & either put in Tupperware if we're going to the park or in the fridge if we're coming home.

I do the same as lechat noir. Tea is earlier than it would normally be in my house. Some of mine get picked up at 5.30pm so I try to have a meal ready for 4.45pm so that they have finished in time. That way they can just have a fruit snack when they come in. If they are "starving" I will sometimes do them a piece of toast.