How the heck do you all manage?

[mummydoingamasters]

I have got to hold my hands up and say I am struggling with time management.

I work full time (term time only) but I pick my kids up from after school club between 4.45 and 5.15 usually.
We get home, I put dinner on, they have a shower while it's cooking, they come downstairs and eat, we read them it's bedtime.
My son is in Y1 and gets reading and spellings homework but WHEN THE HECK DO I DO IT!

I don't want to fail my boy (or my girl when it comes to her starting 'proper school' as opposed to nursery) but I just don't know when to do it.

I want to talk to the school after school club about if they facilitate support but I'm not sure if this is reasonable?

How do you all do it?

Mine used to do it while I cooked - could they shower after dinner?

Sit at table and do it and have shower after

Can you do it in the morning?

I have the same problem! Mine do 10 mins each in the morning. It's literally 10 mins so we don't get everything done in that time, just what we can. I figure it's better than nothing.

Can you incorporate the reading and spelling into the read before bedtime? Also mine don't have showers every night, twice a week usually so homework could be done then?

What time are they going to bed? I would assume with the timing that you would be finished with dinner by 6.30ish. Could they not do it after dinner before bed? Assume with an early bed they must be up early so do it after bfast in the morning instead.

In theory I should have been able to fit in reading/homework while dinner was in the oven or maybe after dinner, but getting two little boys to sit down and actually do these things means 20 mins of pleading, bribing and threatening followed by 20 mins of half-arsed faffing about. So the whole thing needed my full attention and I ended going 80% at work so I could finish earlier and fit it all in. Which is probably not a very feminist, progressive way of dealing with the issue, but it was the path of least resistance.

Now if we bugger about and don't get it done, it's entirely my fault because there is ring fenced time after school to do it.

Do you have a DH/P who can help?
If not, do the reading in the reading time you do before bed; & spellings in the morning when they're a bit more awake & can concentrate. You could even do them on the commute into school?

What time do they go to bed? Can they do it in bed before you read them a story or have a quick shower before bed and do it while you're cooking?

Are you a single parent? If not what time is your partner home?

Download the app called squeebles onto your phone or iPad and they can do the spelling independently from you, works really well for us and the kids seem to not see it as quite the chore either so less resistance!

Homework whilst dinner cooks. That way they can sit at table and be vaguely monitored whilst you prep dinner and help as needed

move shower to after dinner. Shift bedtime back by 20-30 mins if needed

I used to get mine to read to me at bedtime. 'You read me a story, then I'll read you one'. It worked for us.

Do kids need to shower daily? If they are physically dirty and in summer maybe but every night after school?

We do reading when we get in - DD has tea at after school club though which helps. Other homework (maths or English) gets done on a Saturday or Sunday morning then we still have the day free. She also has spellings and times tables to learn, we practice these on the wall to breakfast club. It is a lot to juggle though.

It might make sense for you to do the homework whilst the meal is being prepared then they shower before bed?

OP, thank you for asking the question. I've had the exact same dilemma this week with my year 1 ds! I'll read the replays you get but you're not alone !

Mine has dinner with childminder, I pick her up at 6. We have a little play in the park on the way home, get in by 7, quick shower & pyjamas, we do homework in her room, then reading & hot milk in bed. I combine school reading & bedtime story- she reads school book, then I read her bedtime book. Teeth done and ready to sleep for 8-8:30, ready for 6:30 start the next day.

It is absolutely manic and I’m constantly worn out, but it all gets done!

Less showering?? Surely they’re not that dirty!
Read while you cook?
Spellings in the car? 10 mins in the morning?? After school club might read with him but they’re not going to have time for anything else.

I've got Yr1 and a baby. Both work full time.

Pick up Yr1 from wraparound at 5:15 then have to go to get the baby from nursery. Home by 5:45. They have a small tea at their childcare places so I just do them aome snacky bits as soon as we get in. Then up to bath at 6:30/6:45. Baby in bed at 7. Then I do Yr1 bedtime story and he has to read to me first before I read to him. Spelling are done in the morning (bit of a rush as both go to childcare by 8am latest). Homework done Fri evening so that we have the weekend free.

DD1 was in yr 1 last year. Spelling are talked and orally practised when eating breakfast/dinner. 10 minutes reading every night before on of us reads to her.

I guess it depends on the child but my Y1 son definitely needs to. He is quite grubby otherwise

Just trying to answer questions.

Hubby gets home at 6, kids are asking to go to bed/falling asleep at 7.

Kids usually come home covered in paint/pen/food so need a shower.

Kids are slow eaters so can take up to an hour to eat which doesn't help and their after school club only provides a snack.

I'm going to try and focus a bit more at the weekend and get the bigger bits of work out of the way then just be able to do reading/spelling throughout the week. Luckily, his class teacher works at the after school club so knows what time I get there.

I just worry that I'm doing my kids a disservice by not being able to do everything the school want me to.

I work in a school myself and don't want to fail my kiddos.

I used to do times tables and spelling practice with my two in the car on the way to school.

I think it's odd that the after school club don't do homework. I'm presuming it's primary school that they're at? Apologies if I'm wrong.
At my primary school, we weren't allowed to do an after school club until we'd done our homework. Homework was 3.15-4 and then after 4 there were options for sport or sewing or crafts etc.

I dont think it is.. my after school club is more like a big kids creche and it doesnt have enough adults to do one on one homework.

I didn’t do it most weeks, they do enough at school and they didn’t have time. I did suggest to school that they gave homework for a whole week so we could fit it in at weekends but the didn’t.