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Parenting

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Original poster

After school time

15 replies

OhWhatNoooow · 10/10/2013 21:07

What do your kids get up to after school? All ages please! We dont have any computer games, consoles or tablets at the moment and we are thinking to get something, but I know the kids will want to spend the whole time on it. Is this what kids are doing now most of the time?

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bundaberg · 10/10/2013 21:27

i've banned all screen time after school (cos i'm mean)

my children now actually play together! or read! or play with lego mostly. sometimes drawing.

Original poster

OhWhatNoooow · 10/10/2013 21:29

And what ages are they bundaberg?

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TEErickOrTEEreat · 10/10/2013 21:32

My 4 year old watches TV and plays with his trains and his cars and his lego.

All at the same time.

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cupcake78 · 10/10/2013 21:32

6 yr old, year 1. Firstly feed and water him, he's always starving. No screen time here either. He plays with his toys, we talk about his day, do reading/homework. If weather is nice he plays in back garden.

Happypiglet · 10/10/2013 21:40

Not much screen time here either.
Ds1 (9) has after school club two days a week, cubs another and piano another...and homework every night...so he is pretty busy! Spare time involves reading, playing out and wrestling beating up his siblings... One night a week he watches some TV while dd at Beavers
Ds2 (8) does one eve at after school club, cubs and a piano lesson. He has homework about three nights a week. He reads a lot. Plays out with his sister and friends altho that will stop soon cos of darker evenings. Some TV
Dd (6) does a piano lesson, Beavers and one after school club. She reads to me and spends a lot of time making up her own homework .... If only my boys were so keen. Lots of playing out. Some craft stuff. She does occassionally go on computer to play maths games which she enjoys.
When mine were younger and I wasn't a human taxi they played, coloured, went in garden, read to me, pottered about. They had TV for about 30mins before bed but we struggle to fit that in now.... They make up for it at the weekend!

Original poster

OhWhatNoooow · 10/10/2013 21:41

What about older children? Can we ban screen time for them realistically?

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BadSeedsAddict · 10/10/2013 21:45

I try to limit screen time as they get overtired and hyper. Rainbows Cubs and a piano lesson once a week (have 3 DCs and one does each thing), otherwise general playing. Not allowed iPad after school as makes them hyper or we have arguments over turns!

Happypiglet · 10/10/2013 21:46

How old? DS1 would like an iPod touch for Christmas, I have already said he will not be playing games on it on week nights.... By the time mine are home from school/ clubs, have eaten, done homework there is little time left before bed.
I don't want to get into. The whole policing screen time thing in the week...just another stressor!

SirChenjin · 10/10/2013 21:51

DS3 is at an after school club so does a mixture of sports, games, crafts, and DVDs. When I pick him up at 5.30 he's usually very tired, so I'm happy to let him veg in front of the TV for a bit before dinner/homework/Beavers/etc.

The older 2 are teens, and are supposed to do homework before DH and I get home from work but I suspect they also veg in front of the TV

I really can't get worked up over screen time. As long as they do a mix of outdoor play/crafts/imaginary play/etc then if they want to sit and watch an hour or so of TV then meh - so what?

bundaberg · 11/10/2013 08:48

Mine are 8.5, 6 and 4.5

There was outrage to start with but it's so much nicer now. No more fighting over whose turn it is, how long they've each had, which game to play, which DVD to watch etc etc

bundaberg · 11/10/2013 08:51

Sirchenjin, I agree with you about screen time in principle... I've never had a big problem with mine using screens (they have a Wii u, a ds each etc) it was the sheer stress of all the arguments and whining over it that made me put the ban in ace.

I can honestly say our evenings are far more pleasant now :-)

SirChenjin · 11/10/2013 08:55

It might be different if I was at home after school, but as I'm at work and away from it I'm happy for them to have screen time as one of their many activities when I get home or at the weekend for a short while.

WhoKnowsWhereTheBonnetsGo · 11/10/2013 09:04

DS (9) has half an hour or so of screen time (Ipad/DS/computer) as soon as he gets in, he needs it to unwind from school (he has ASD). DD (7) tends to just play or do craft, she could do Ipad etc if she wanted but she chooses not to. They usually fit in 30 mins or so of telly at some point, but that varies and depends on homework and who is going to what activity and when (one or other goes to something every weekday night). On occasion I let them put the Wii on, but they don't ask all that often. We have no outright bans on screen time apart from school day mornings and don't often have any problems with arguments/whining over turns etc. If we do it goes off and they know that.

fourbythree · 11/10/2013 09:17

Dcs age 10 5 and 4
Home from
School they get downtime - tv laptop and xbox or wii... I get tea ready then screens are off - after tea is time to play on trampoline or with Lego , cars etc do homework , run around wildly being power rangers or dinosaurs or something... Before bed we do some reading and might watch a bit of masterchef Australia together (!)

starfishmummy · 11/10/2013 09:26

One Ds. We chat and I get him a drink/chat and then he winds down with some tv. At this point I am usually having a cuppa so we will chat while he watches. He then has an hour (sometimes less, very occasionally more) of computer time.

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