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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Bit of a daft question but what do you DO with them after school entertainment wise? Or are they too knackered to require it?

22 replies

PussinJimmyChoos · 16/08/2010 16:31

DS starts school in Sept..

One thing I was wondering, is that on my non working days now, our time is pretty filled up with an am and pm activity as he gets whingey in the house and I like to get out/keep busy

What to do after school though...asked my mum who roffled and said that when I was small, after school she would be in the kitchen cooking dinner while we amused ourselves and that modern parents felt too much pressure and guilt to be entertaining their child 24/7

I think she has a point but still....

What do you think?

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MunchMummy · 16/08/2010 16:34

I'm not going to entertain my DD (4.1) when she gets home from school in September. I have a feeling she will be too tired to want to do anything, so will either play in her bedroom, or more likely for the first month or so just crash infront of the TV and go to sleep.

scurryfunge · 16/08/2010 16:35

He will not need specific entertainment other than amusing himself.

Wait a while and then be guided by clubs and activities he has developed an interest in.

Original poster

PussinJimmyChoos · 16/08/2010 17:02

You think? A friend's DD (will start second year primary in Sept) comes in from school totally hyped up and does not sleep until gone 8pm at night...

OP posts:

forehead · 16/08/2010 17:16

I didn't put any of my dc's into any after school activities until year 1. Most children of reception age are unable to cope with the long days. My ds fell asleep every afternoon during his reception year.
OP i agree with your mother, there is no need to entertain children daily.

pagwatch · 16/08/2010 17:18

It entirely depends onthe child so I would wait and see.

Ds1 and Ds2 just wanted to come home amd chill. They both found it tiring. Ds1 didn't really do clubs/activities except sports practice arranged by the school in house.

DD on the other hand is a Duracell bunny and I have to sort out loads of activities for her or lock her in the shed.
She does two hours of gym twice a week and swimming on another night. Friday is free .

Give it a term and then you will know if he is too tired or could do with more stuff

cyb · 16/08/2010 17:19

What do you think the telly is for?

BooKangaWonders · 16/08/2010 17:20

There's also the option of inviting new friends back occasionally, so you'll have 2 in the house to entertain each other.

ProfessorLaytonIsMyLoveSlave · 16/08/2010 17:28

Didn't do anything the first term bar having occasional friends back to play. In the second term he did swimming after school once a week, and in the third term we added in judo. That's plenty of official Stuff for him to be doing.

Original poster

PussinJimmyChoos · 16/08/2010 17:30

You see I thought the swimming/judo type stuff was all weekend/evening things...didnt realise you could do it after school also

I am going to let him take the lead with it but I do think he would love some form of judo/karate class as he's pretty into that

OP posts:

emy72 · 16/08/2010 18:59

DD did loads of after school activities as she is Duracell too and tbh she has ended up finshing the year absolutely shattered.

It kind of happened; she was doing ballet and tap before starting school, so carried on doing them after school; she was also doing horseriding before starting school, so we cut it down a lot but still did it once a fortnight/a month; then she started Rainbows in the local village, as she was desperate to go with all her friends.

So I would just wait and see how it goes and maybe schedule something in at a later date! Playdates are always a really good way to fill in the afterschool time and a good way of making new friends!

ragged · 16/08/2010 19:15

He'll be knackered and fractious, you'll be glad you don't have to drag him out anywhere and can just try to get him to unwind.

Runoutofideas · 16/08/2010 19:21

DD has just finished reception. She has been pretty tired and just comes home from school, plays with her sister/watches TV, bath and bed. She did have swimming one afternoon a week, and dance club at school, so just a later pick up from Feb onwards. (Lots of schools do not let reception children get involved in after school clubs straight away.) She had a friend back, or went to their house to play, probably about once a fortnight. For my dd I think this was enough. She goes to gymnastics on Saturdays, but this may switch to an afterschool club this year. She'd love to go to Rainbows but the waiting list is miles long....
Pussinjimmychoos - dd's school is just starting a Tae Kwon Do after school club. I have a feeling you are near me somewhere. He's not going to an infant school beginning El is he?

Original poster

PussinJimmyChoos · 16/08/2010 19:56

Runout - no...whereabouts are you? You can give heneral idea if you'd prefer -have a feeling we have talked before though?

OP posts:

Runoutofideas · 17/08/2010 08:12

mmm I think so too, but can't remember what about! We are NW Bristol - W-O-T. The Tae Kwon Do club may meet elsewhere too - I'll find out more when dd goes back to school.

NoahAndTheWhale · 17/08/2010 08:16

DD is starting reception in September and will be going to dance class one day after school. Depending on whether a place comes up she will do Rainbows as well. She is fairly Duracell bunny like so hoping she will be all right :)

Original poster

PussinJimmyChoos · 17/08/2010 08:31

Ideas - ahh!! I remember now! You were worried about DH being away when you had new baby and DD iirc?

Let me know where the class is if you wouldn't mind (CAT me if you like) as I know DS would like it and am prepared to take him if not too far - would be nice for him to meet friends outside of school as well

OP posts:

JenaiMarrHePlaysGuitar · 17/08/2010 11:33

My ds - who was almost 5 when he started reception so fairly old for his year - was shattered after school and often had a little nap (despite having given up afternoon naps when he was a toddler).

He'd been used to a few long days at nursery a week, too. I think school can be exhausting, basically.

I used to let him crash in front of the TV, perhaps play with some of the neighbours' dcs, whilst I got dinner ready and so on.

No need for anything more until they're older, imo. They need time just to to be.

Over40 · 18/08/2010 11:28

I'm with your Mum. Just let them chil after school. It really is knackering and quite a change from nursery. Also children really need a switch off time (and I don't mean the telly!) as they get so much stimulation. Some quite imaginative play worked with my daughter.
Once my daughter started learning to read and had books to bring home our routine was: Home, snack+drink, do reading, play. It is much harder to try and pull them away from play to do the reading and it only has to be 5 mins. Once they get time to habit it works like a dream and then you can get on with dinner or whatever.

civil · 18/08/2010 15:03

My dd was exhausted in after school during the first term of reception. By the second term, she was able to start swimming lessions.

Do not try and do anything challenging after school during their first term!

On the otherhand, my children are young for their year and older ones may be quite different.

Oldjolyon · 18/08/2010 20:32

Follow your child and do what your child needs to do.

I listened to all the advice on here, and cancelled all DDs hobbies for fear that she would get too tired after school. However, that completely did not happen, and she missed her hobbies. By the january of reception, she was back doing gymnastics for 3 hours a week (two nights) and ballet for 1 1/2 hours on a third night after school. She never once tired, not even at the end of the year.

Now she's 6 and does 61/2 hours of gymnastics (the maximum she is allowed to do at her club), and a further 1 1/2 hours of ballet a week, and still it doesn't tire her out. I live in hope that one day it will.

Acinonyx · 21/08/2010 11:59

It does so much depend on the child. I expected dd to be tired after school but she never was - even though she is the youngest in her year and went FT immediately. Bed tinme has slid forward from 8 pm and I will be trying to reign it back in for next term.

She goes to her CM 2 days/week. 1 or 2 of the others she plays with friends - from school, or some we knew previously. She does not liket o play alone and can be extrememly demanding of my attention - the concept of 'letting her just chill' has no meaning in this house.

The only problem with this is that it is virtually impossible to get any reading done after school if you go straight to a playdate. Not really an issue for reception - but I can see it may become more of an issue through the years.

So I will second all those who say wait and see what dc's energy level is like over the first term. I do looked forward to dd actually being tired at bedtime after school - but it never happened.

Acinonyx · 21/08/2010 12:00

She doesn't do afterschool activities though - she's shy with groups and school is enough of that for the year.

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