Tips for wearing out 5 year old

[rhetorician]

Ok. Dd is 5, coming to the end of junior infants (reception). Bedtime is getting more and more protracted and I think she just isn't tired. She gets up at just gone 7, she cycles about a mile to school. School finishes at 1.10, cycles home again. Childminder has her til about 4, they often walk to library or to friend's house. She then plays in garden or on the road if fine, dinner, bit of tv, bath, bed at 7.30ish. She mucks about in her room, constantly calling us for one spurious thing or another. It's 9pm and she is still awake. How can I make her more tired? I really need my evenings back as I rely on them for work, plus impossible to get anyone to babysit if 5yo still awake at 9!

Swimming before dinner? I'd also drop the TV and give play a board game with her or maybe play ball in the garden. TV can be a bit stimulating.

Have a look at your local cricket club too. Many offer training for girls and boys from this age during the summer, if that doesn't wear her out, I don't know what will. My dd also started doing karate one night a week at the end of reception.

A trampoline? Swimming is good for burning off energy too. Ds1 is full of beans and very active and always sleeps well after swimming.

She'd love a trampoline. Has zero interest in board games. Swimming tricky, because she can't yet, and not sure local pool open for kids at that time. She doesn't watch a lot of tv, and I do try to make sure it's before dinner, not after.

If she can't swim yet, could you sign her up for lessons or just take her yourself and try to teach her?

Can't you just lay down some rules about when she has to be quiet in her room? If she's not tired during the day maybe she doesn't need any more sleep. DDs are 5 and 6 and DH and I want them out of our way by 7.30 to have some evening to ourselves. They need to be in their beds and quiet, not coming downstairs every five minutes with some ridiculous excuse. They often don't go to sleep till gone 8.30 which is fine, but if I can hear them banging around one of us goes up and tells them off/there may be punishments i.e. no TV tomorrow etc.. With babysitters, I think there's a changeover as they get older that they may very well not be asleep when you go out so the people you use to babysit may change? If I babysit for friends I would expect the kids to be in their PJs and probably in their rooms, but not necessarily asleep.

To be fair she quite often does play with her toys until she is ready to go to sleep. She can read, but not really well enough to occupy her. And she never ever comes downstairs...she is not the worlds best respecter of rules!!

How come she finishes school so early? Is that just what happens where you are or is it something you have chosen for your dd?

No, in ireland school finishes at 1.10 for junior and senior infants, and at 2.10 for All others, through to 12. I would not choose it, childcare headache!!

That's really early compared to the uk. What time does she start?

8.30, breaks are very short though, 10 mins and (I think) 25 mins

How was she this evening? Were things just the same? What type of things does she call you for?

Better last night, actually. A drink (not allowed as she is a bed wetter), reassurance, to tell us that her sister has done something or other. The usual, really

It does get really tiring doesn't it. I always leave them with a bottle of water but can understand you not wanting to do that with a bed wetter.