What age kids can be picked up from school

[RedSpaceship]

Sorry forgot to finish the title! What age kids can be picked up from school and then play independently (supervised) while you finish the workday at home?

I can work from home some days each week and my toddler goes to nursery as I definitely couldn’t work and look after her at the same time.

What age does it start to become possible to get some work done while also supervising your children after school?

I’m assuming this is years off but just thinking ahead to school years and how to make it all work.

My dd is in reception and we’re no way there yet, but looking at my friends with older primary children I think about 8.

I think around 8 years old. My youngest was in Y4 when I started WFH- I initially had childcare for them (had older DC, Y6/Y7 who walked themselves home) but stopped after a term and it was fine. The holidays were harder but now they are all at secondary school the holidays are fine.

My work say 8 years and older. Anything under might be able to watch TV but they'll want things from you

7 or 8. It's a pita otherwise.

My company doesn't allow it before high school age.

Depends on personality really. When middle child gets home from school he basically doesn’t move until bedtime. He’s 7. Older one much harder work - he’s very responsible but just needs much more input emotionally.

Based on my kids, around the age of 9. 10 year old DD can still be demanding so I don’t tend to do this as the work takes me 3 times as long and she gets frustrated my attention is always on my laptop.

Depends if your kid is the type to sit quietly and watch telly while eating snacks.
Which mine could do when she was around 4.

we do this with 5 and 8 year old
for about an hour twice a week. The 8 year amuses herself very well plays in her room and is sensible. The 5 year old likes to watch tv or play on switch and will come upstairs if they need anything. Sometimes sits by the adult with switch. Mumsnet will be shocked and aghast at this but I think it depends on the kid and only you know.

Also depends if you're happy for the tv to childmind them surely? My 3 year old can fixate on the tv and zone out to everything else, but I don't let her for more than 30 min as standard. I don't plan to have her watching screens for more than an hour after school when she's in primary (& a couple of zero screen days)

Mine are 9 and 11 and two days a week I wfh so I collect them when School finishesat 2:20, or sometimes I’ll leave them in Afterschool until 3:30. I will then work from home until 4:30.
They just do homework and/or chill out.

Mine can at 8 and 10 but my 5 yo cannot at all. I think it's more personality than just age.

For dc1 that's a lot of screen time though as without adult intervention, he barely blinks to look up from a screen. Dc2 will happily draw, colour, watch screens and mix up between it all. Dc3 lasts less than a minute before asking me what I am doing, why am I typing, etc. dc3 however loves after school as so many peers are there. Dc1 and dc2 not so much as children tend to stop going as they progress through the school years .

I've just gone through this. My daughter is reception age. A couple of times a week I
pick her up at 3:30 and know a plate of snacks and an iPad will keep her quiet for half and hour which is usually the only time she needs to stay quiet as my meetings are not much longer.
I would say it depends how intense your work is after 4pm. Our core hours are 10-4 so I'm rarely bothered after 4pm. Get the important stuff that needs loads of concentration doing in the morning, then late afternoon in picking up the easy bits and I'm around on teams.

Also worth nothing she prefers after school club and a 4:30 pick up! She was so upset when I turned up at 3:30 today as she thought she was staying, why I have working mum guilt I don't know

I think by necessity many of us had to do this during Covid at a younger than ideal age. For mine though, over 6 and I could do it at a push, without zoom calls. Fine for the odd sick child day. Over 8 and they could reliably be fine even if I had a meeting (zoom/teams). Some days I take my lunch break and do school pick up, school is only 10 mins away so I also have time to hear about their day, make them a snack and do another hour or twos work. They are totally happy but youngest is a sensible 9yrs old with older siblings.

Ds is 9 in year five. When I was ill recently his dad collected him and continued working while he watched tv. It was fine.

It depends if you'd do this everyday or once a week/month.

We've had to do this very occasionally with my 4yo when we've had childcare crises, just a couple of hours at a time, and it was fine. Because it's so rare (less than once a month) we can put her in front of the TV. She can fetch fruit from the kitchen as a snack and she can go to the toilet.

She's no way ready for this on a daily basis though. Maybe in a couple of years

It’s not just a case of when this is possible but also whether it is what is best. A child in after school club will be interacting with their peers, playing or doing an activity they enjoy ie a sport club. A child at home whilst their parent is working will no doubt be watching tv or on the internet unsupervised. When mine were primary school age the three hours from pick up were all about them. So chatting about their day, feeding them and getting them to their after school clubs.
If work is flexible I think it is preferable to work later on once they have had your attention.

I can work very well with one half of my 3 year olds twin home

Not so much the other half

When all 3 are home so 3, 3, 7 then I can work surprisingly effectively as they all play together and keep each other occupied

If you have two or more children the age goes up a lot, as the minute you are on a call or have something urgent to do they will inevitably start fighting.

Also bear in mind kids often have homework which you will need to supervise and help with - IME it’s only age 10/11+ that they get on with homework without needing any help (and that’s for an academic child). If your child plays/watches TV from 4 to 6 while you finish work then you’ve got to fit homework, tea and getting ready for tomorrow into a fairly short time after 6pm when your child is tired. All totally fine as a temporary or occasional measure but not ideal as a long term set up.

Very much depends on the child and it helps with younger ones to have an activity set out and an hour of TV. My first child from age 3 would happily play, look at books and just come to me for the occasion thing, fully understood when grown-ups had work to do. My second is very different and I don't think it will be until she's late infant school at least!

8 or 9, older if they have SEN probably.

Depends on child's personality as some will moither you. Depends on type of work.

Ks2 maybe? I have to use after school club because the school run is too long thus disruptive to my afternoon if I need meetings, but I'd likely be fine with it aged 7 or 8, although I admit, unless it was the summer, that would likely mean a lot of screen time to keep them entertained in a way that causes minimal disruption to me, so probably not a bad thing I still require after school club!!