What do your kids do after school (other than stare at a TV)?!

[icravecheese]

I have 3 kids (7, 5 & 2). I work 3 school days a week.

After picking them up from school, our afternoon is as follows:

Arrive home, kids demand copious amounts food, someone invariably throws a tantrum about something. 7 yo switches on TV in playroom and would happily stare at it for the rest of the afternoon, with a short break for tea. 5 yo half watches tv / half plays. 2 yo potters around playing.

I sort out school bags/ lunch boxes / post / start cooking dinner. I'm in and out of the playroom doing bits & pieces and chatting about their school / nursery day.

I just have an eternal guilt that the kids shouldn't automatically switch TV on as soon as they arrive through the door, but if i'm honest, it buys me time to do the above (sort out school bags/ lunch boxes / post / tea etc).

What do your kids do after school? Are we normal, or a terrible TV addict family?

I don't think that sounds terrible, tbh, it sounds relaxed & friendly.

But to answer your question - we never have the TV on after school. Mine (9 & 5) usually draw or play till supper, and then after supper I get them straight upstairs for a bath before they get too involved in another game/craft project.

I'm a childminder so don't automatically turn TV on. I have upto 8 a night it can inc 1 yr 2.5yr 4yr 2x 5yr 2x 7 9y and 12yr.

They love drawing/ colouring.
Playing in my home corner role play.
Just playing a made up imaginary game altogether.
The 12 year old just watched TV.

If it was just me and my kids they'd probably play upstairs in their playroom with all their toys that they don't share. DS 1 (8) plays on FIFA or watches TV.

We do home work after mindees have gone.

We get home, do homework, get changed into swimming, marital arts or dancing gear. This fills four nights of our week. Friday comes round and it's tv all the way!!! Other four nights are chaos!!!

I have 2 dcs - 9 and 10. They each go to their GPs after school once a week. GPs have no TV.

Other nights they have music lessons, do sport or after school clubs. By the time they have done all that and homework and music practice, there is just time to mess about for a while, have a shower, go to bed and read for a bit.

Fridays we always sit down and watch a film together. It is special becuase we do not watch tc much during the rest of the week.

That said, on weekend mornings, they both climb into bed with us at 7.00am, put headphones on and watch tv on iplayer and youtube for about 2 hours!

I have found that if I hide the remote control and tell the DC that they are not allowed to turn the TV on until xx time, they inevitably find something to do. It will probably involve making a mess (in our case, lots of paper cutting and glueing), but it is much better for them to engage their imagination rather than switch the tv on. They also invent little games, actually use the board games and toys they have! The other day they helped each other build a puzzle.

Try it for a week and you will be amazed (I was!). I can guarantee it.

No tv here. They read/ paint/ draw/ play/ have friends over/ we go outside to park etc

It's rare to get post here as everything done online/ direct, they eat school lunch so no boxes, bag has just book so involves 10 mins reading that's all atm, homework soon to be added. We bulk cook at the weekend so dinner involves getting sauce out freezer, adding some veg and pasta so doesn't really need prep. So most afternoons we are all completely free

Mine are slightly older (12 & 9) but DD would probably sit in front of the tv all evening given the choice.

However since we only have a tv in our bedroom it's generally homework, music practice, reading and eating anything that they can lay their hands on.

DD texts/talks to friends too and DS has a Lego obsession at the moment. Occasionally they help me cook or do some baking.

I don't think you sound like a terrible tv addicted family. Kids need a bit of down time after a hard day at school but i'd probably try and wean them off watching it all afternoon.

On the days there are no after school clubs or other activities, she mainly watches TV, draws pictures, plays with her toys or plays on the computer. Totally her choice.

She's only 6 and often tired after school so I don't mind TV or computer games.

When I've been at work all day I often feel like switching off in front of the TV or computer.

If I let them they would walk in drop bags and immediately switch the TV on. But I didn't want that to become the reflex reaction so I've tried not to get into that habit.

They play with Lego, sometimes dressing up stuff, board games, imaginary play. Sometimes they play on the Wii (once or twice a week probably) and sometimes they watch TV. In the summer they ride bikes up and down our road or play in the garden a lot.

3 or 4 nights we are back late after after school clubs or rushing out to an activity so there aren't that many opportunities for them to watch TV during the week.

They unpack their own bags, lunchboxes etc (started training them to do this in Reception).

I sign & return slips & forms while half-heartedly listening to reading & music practice.

Then I actively encourage the primary aged ones to watch TV, play in the garden etc, to keep them out of the way so that the secondary aged ones can start their homework in peace & quiet.

Not including use of computer for homework, DS1 probably spends an hour watching iplayer or texting. DS2 at least an hour and a half on Minecraft etc. DD prefers to be in the garden or making things, but spends up to an hour watching TV. DS3 usually helps me cook, but spends between 1 and 1.5 hours on a combination of laptop/TV.

Mine are 6 & 4 and will usually play in their bedroom after school (after a snack or taking one up with them). They usually have their mp3 player on listening to music while they play. They tend to play 'schools' so one is the teacher and they do writing and phonics . They also do colouring and dressing up.

They sometimes put the tv on but it tends to be on days when they're a bit more tired and I don't mind as it's an easy way to keep them occupied as I get on with tea, etc. (they tend to fight/argue when tired so the tv helps prevent that)

Mine DDs (7 and 3) are similar ages to your DCs. We never switch the TV on after school, not sure why really!

We sit in the kitchen, have a snack and drink and chat about our days, then DD1 usually disappears up to her room to listen to story tapes or CDs (she is obsessed with Harry Potter at the moment) while she does drawing, colouring, beads or another craft activity. If she has homework, I give her a while before going up to prompt her.

DD2 usually disappears to her room too, and will also often put a CD on. She also loves stories, but tends to follow them in the accompanying book. Sometimes she puts on music and dresses up and dances (DD1 will usually join her if she does this). She often does a jigsaw, flicks through books or plays with her dollshouse or other imaginary play. Sometimes she likes me there with her, other times she isn't bothered.

Meanwhile I work (I write) if I need to, sort out lunchboxe and laundry, and cook dinner. Sometimes they help me, other times they don't want to. If they don't, I call them at 5ish to lay the table.

The TV only goes on after dinner for one short CBeebies programme, then it's bath and bed. DD1 stays up for a little longer, usually reading in bed, but sometimes pottering with me while I cook dinner for me and DH, or do other stuff.

Once a week DD1 has swimming after school, so that is very different. DD2 goes to my MIL once a week on the same day DD1 has Brownies, so I get a bit of time with DD1 on our own, which is lovely. I have DD2 a couple of afternoons as she is only part time at nursery school. Sometimes we have a play date, which again is very different, but still the TV rarely goes on!

Got into bad TV habits here too. Ds1 (8yo) usually has some sort of homework so we try and do that whilst the others (5yo) draw or play (not fair for them to have TV if he can't). Swimming once a week now (just started). In summer - trampoline, park etc. Not. In. This. Weather! Sometimes one of them helps me cook whilst others play in rooms (a lot of lego and other construction type stuff). I think I am going to start limiting TV to 30 mins. Scooby Doo.

Why don't you try letting them play etc as soon as they get in and not let them watch TV until after tea. That's what I do when I get sick of mine watching loads of TV.

Fight

Mine go to after school club 3 nights and Taekwondo one night so not much time other than maybe a 10 minute sit down to watch telly while I sort tea. Friday's they're shattered and we often hit the sofa straight from school and watch a film.
I don't put the tv on when we get in as they would automatically watch it, but I will put it on if they ask. It depends how tired they are. Sometimes they watch loads and sometimes they're not bothered - dark nights I think are harder and can be more telly focussed (for me and DH as well as the kids).

Mine unwind with the electronic device of their choosing for a bit. They need the decompression time. One of them barely survives the 6 hours he's at school, so there's no way I'd make him do yet another activity straight afterwards.

:o at TickTock starting her DC on Marital Arts at an early age!

Tv, drawing, squashing the baby, fighting each other, moaning about dinner etc.

4&3

After school dependent on clubs etc, take boys (10 and 8) and dog a walk around the park. This is only as I have taken the dog a walk up to school so there is no excuse not to walk her. If we went straight home they definitely would not go back out with dog so kills two birds with one stone. They then go home after walk and turn on the telly!

DD is 7. She usually draws, reads, writes stories, makes things (junk models, sewing, collages, kits she's been given for presents etc), makes up dances, sings (karaoke Mary Poppins on youtube etc), that sort of thing. She often draws or writes in front of the TV, though. I think it's OK. They need a bit of down time.

I have two DC, 4 and 6. We get in about 5.15 and the TV goes straight on!! They watch it while I unpack bag, sort tea and 'decompress'!! We tend to turn it off about 6ish, or at least turn over to the news. I'm planning to use our dining room more for playing and dinner (once I've cleared the crap and found storage for it all!!)

They both have full on days of school / afterschool / daycare so I don't mind a bit of TV!

OK, am feeling fairly bad here now...seems lots of mums have banned tv straight after school .

We don't really do any after school clubs - DS does one, on a tues afternoon, but other than that, swimming is on a sat morning.

Before Christmas, I made them choose 2 progs they wanted to watch after school - usually scooby doo and one other thing, then tv was switched off when chosen progs weren't on. That worked well. I might try that again.

If not watching tv, they're hanging around me saying they're hungry/bored /etc etc. I guess i'm being terribly un-mumsnet and using tv as a bit of a babysitter after school, so I can get some peace and quiet and do everything I need to do without interruption.

Right, off to re-think our after school routine

also, to throw another ball in the air...my DH was banned from watching tv as a child, and he is now the BIGGEST tv addict EVER! I, on the other hand, could watch however much i wanted, and i've grown into an adult who doesnt really watch much tv. I think i'm trying to convince myself that me letting kids stare at tv will ensure them not turning into tv addict adults!!

DD is 9. She usually has some homework (though most is done at the weekend). She has music or art lessons 3x a week and otherwise she reads, plays, practises piano, plays with her brother or watches films (no TV).

No TV/DVDs during the week here but the DCs are allowed 30mins each on the iPad or DS.

Apart from that they just play, they run around like mad things which drives me insane or do stuff like lego, drawing or whatever. Sometimes we play board games. 6yo DD is also trying to learn piano so she will play that too.

Dinner at 5 then bath, reading, bed around 7

I really thought we'd all struggle when we ditched the telly during the week (when the term started in sept) but after two days of "I WANT A DVD" strops it's been brilliant. Things are much more peaceful and it makes movie night (Friday) more exciting. DD suddenly became much more willing to read too as the TV wasn't tempting her away, and her fluency suddenly improved dramatically.

We used TV a lot though in the past and it's all about what works for individual families in their particular circumstances isn't it? My two are total fidget arses so don't sit still for telly but they do for a computer game - so time on that is more useful for us.

One thing that really helps sometimes is getting a toy ready for them to play as soon as they get in. So I'll leave out the box of bricks or train set or whatever and they'll jump straight in before they have time to consider boredom :o