When you get home from school with the children ...

[Rowlers]

...what do they do / you do with them? Mine (9 and 5) will drift around annoying each other unless directed by me. And I'm not that creative! Wondering if I'm being ubercrap mum... And looking for easy ideas to keep them busy!

we sometimes do a beach walk first, or a library trip to get new dvds/books or just come home and eat pasta (calms them down!)
you're not being ubercrap - they need the down time of wrestling each other too, to switch off after a busy day

I agree. They must learn to entertain themselves are work out the best way to play with each other and get over conflicts on their own. Don't always rush in to stop the "banter" / play.

I usually get home with my two (11 & 7) and give them a drink n snack (so they're not grumpy) and leave them to it and I start tea. After a long day working/playing they tend to want to their own thing.

Yes, I also leave them to it. After a long day at school, then a long drive home, they just want to be free from direction! They watch something, read, play, annoy eachother, help me make supper, just total free 'play'. I'm not great at entertaining them either, and with 5 its nearly impossible to entertain them all, but after supper its a rigid routine of homework/bath/bed, so they need the hanging-out down time.

No one's mentioned telly yet

They have a snack, do their homework and then I tell them to disappear let them go to the park . TV after dinner

give them something to eat. Put a DVD on

Mine usually want a cuppa and a biscuit or some toast as they are hungry and we eat as a family later on. Once they've had that and chilled in front of the telly for a bit / chatted to me about their day, they do homework, read, play, help me make dinner if sufficiently bored.

Mine are allowed computer time for half an hour or so, then free play, sometimes they play brilliantly together, sometimes they do their own thing, sometimes they bicker and fight. Then it's dinner and one or other or both go to activities, Cubs, Brownies, sports, most nights, then home, wind down with a drink and a bit of telly, reading, spellings etc and get ready for bed.

Thanks for all your replies - it's very reassuring!

Drink, chat, a bit of light squabbling, snack (fruit, crumpets, toast whatever) and then reading books, spellings, tables for a bit before telly/computer whatever they want to do while I cook the tea. They help out if they fancy but always set the table. Three nights a week they have clubs/classs for an hour either before or after dinner.

My ds is in pre school. Once he comes home, he can either colour, play outside or inside in the playroom. They have 2 hours of TV a day, cartoons in the morning and a dvd after bath time.

He's 4 and dd is 22 months, so they get on pretty well and have no problem colouring pictures together. We sit them at their little table and give them glitter, glue, card, uncooked pasta - basically craft stuff and since your kids are a little older, they can do it unsupervised. It's simple, cheap and occupies them for awhile :)

ds also has ice hockey lessons and dd visits the creche while I watch. Clubs/classes are always a good thing too, if you can get them and they're cheap enough or free to attend.

Sometimes we will go to the park if its nice weather or have a little time in the garden. Sometimes out a DVD on and have a snack. Sometimes they aren't interested in tv and just want to play. The play involves a fair bit of arguing but mostly I leave them to it. If no ones crying then its all good! Often I will do a puzzle or game with them, on Friday we made brownies.

Forgot to say they are 3 and 5.

Snack, drink, tv or one will play in their room on their own.

Just 'down time' for an hour or so until dinner. Then it's reading/spellings/bath/snack/milk/bed