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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

DS just started Reception - what do you do with your Receptioner after school finishes at 3 ??

19 replies

herbgarden · 16/09/2010 19:13

DS is knackered - he's my eldest (DD is 20 months) and has just started Reception. I'm letting him play a while with his friends in the playground after he comes out and then we walk home. He then just slobs in front of the telly til tea time. bit more telly and then bed. I don't have the heart to suggest he do a puzzle or something rather than stick the tv on.....
What do yours do if you have a reception plus a littley ?(so no homework and no after school clubs yet)

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tudorrose · 16/09/2010 19:23

Have the same problem. DD2 started last week and she is knackered too. I pick her up with DD3 (27 months) and there is a park right next to the school so we go there for a short time. But to be honest DD2 is so tired all she wants to do is watch tv. I'm happy to let her do it to be honest, it's not ideal but it's only till she gets used to school. We all watched Sleeping Beauty together today, under a blanket with some chocolate fingers!

bigfootbeliever · 16/09/2010 19:49

They will ger used to it but it will take a few weeks.

There's nothing wrong with a DVD and a cuddle after they've been at school all day and they're 4 years old (and if anyone says their kids do otherwise they're probably making it up!)

usualsuspect · 16/09/2010 19:51

They need to chill, stick the tv on

Lotkinsgonecurly · 16/09/2010 19:52

Some days mine is still like this and he's in year 2. I find if he has a drink and snack at the school gates then things are a little more reasonable but not much!

Original poster

herbgarden · 16/09/2010 20:08

I remember when I was a kid getting in and watching the bbc kids stuff til my mum sent us off up for a bath (she made us go to bed at 6.30pm til we were at least 10 or 11 ) - we thought it was so unfair - I can now see her rationale and I'm sure we watched far more crap than my DS does.

The cbeebies 3.30 - 5 slot is pretty informative I reckon.....I think actually I'm not so fussed about DS and his telly but I spent the whole time trying to distract DD with her toys and get her to stop staring at the telly with a very gormless look on her face !!

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nemofish · 16/09/2010 20:12

Yes it's telly / dvd time here too, until dinner time, then dd seems to get a second wind from somewhere and usually does some drawing / craft / plays with toys until supper / bath / bed.

She doesn't seem any more tired apart from that bit between coming home and dinner. She goes to sleep around 8pm - 9pm. I feel quite cheated, I had visions of her conked out by 7.30pm and me and dh shagging onthe sofa getting more time to ourselves...

bigfootbeliever · 16/09/2010 20:18

nemofish for me the er.. "getting more time to ourselves" has to wait until 9pm ish too.

nemofish · 16/09/2010 20:22

For a second I thought you were going to say 'has to wait until they move out!'

ruddynorah · 16/09/2010 20:23

dd just started. she has a 10month old brother.

she finishes at 3.15, slow walk home with her friend over the road. they then play until 4pm when it's tea and then telly. her brother goes to bed at 6.30, she then gets her phonics/reading book out and i do that with her for 10 minutes before she goes up to bed.

she does do ballet one night a week. but that's it for now.

pigsinmud · 17/09/2010 00:40

I wish I had the tired problem! Dc4 has just started reception . She does finish at 1pm at the moment, but she is still bouncing off the walls at 9pm. I don't know how many times she has got out of bed during the last few evenings!

My boys were much more exhausted in reception than my girls. Ds1 crashed out on the sofa every day.

Nothing wrong with a bit of tv when they've been at school all day.

redskyatnight · 17/09/2010 09:07

Schilke - I had your bouncing round experience with DS when he started Reception. I was all prepared for him to be very tired and he just wasn't (until it got quite near the end of term).

DD on the other hand was in danger of dozing off on the way home at least a couple of days last week, but this week she seems to have acclimatised.

I've planned "nothing" for after school and she can do what she likes, which is mostly to either sit and draw endless pictures or stare mindlessly at the TV.

comewhinewithme · 17/09/2010 09:13

We walk home she gets changed and either plays in the garden or talks to me while I finish dinner.

Eat dinner - bath or shower -watches tv while we clean kitchen up and get others sorted for bed.

Teeth, story and bed by 7pm. :)

comewhinewithme · 17/09/2010 09:14

DD is also knackered and a bit whingy straight after school but she is my 5th child to go into reception so I'm used to it !

sereka · 17/09/2010 11:06

My DD has just started reception as well but she goes at half days for now.

I find she is raring to go when i pick her up at midday. We normaly get home crash infront of the telly, while making dinner. She loves drawing and coluoring so will do that as well. She will do swimming and drama this term as well so will be very occupied and think she will be more than able to cope with that.

It does get better I think over time and then you can always generate a routine.

PixieOnaLeaf · 17/09/2010 12:22

This reply has been deleted

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midnightexpress · 17/09/2010 12:33

ds1 started in August (we're in Scotland) and this is his first week of full days. We usually walk home, which takes about an hour because ds2 (3.8) walks sooooooo slowly, and we have to stop and look at things, but I think it chills them both out a little bit. When they get in, they fight for about half an hour and then I turn on the TV. I do think that having a snack in your pocket at the gate helps. He's been fine, if a little bit over-sensitive this week, but he did say to me this morning 'mummy, do you think you could bring the car this afternoon?'. Bless him.

Original poster

herbgarden · 17/09/2010 20:02

DS has started waking at 5.30am after his first week at school so although he's tired I think he is probably overtired- he is a mixture of hyper and over sensitive...we went to tea at a friends after school and I removed him before things got really fractious !!...Am hoping for a low key weekend.

OP posts:

Ceebee74 · 17/09/2010 20:09

Herbgarden I totally sympathise as my DS1 has been exactly the same this week. He has only been in half days but it has clearly shattered him out. My fault really as I planned loads of stuff for him to do in the afternoons thinking he would be bored when I suspect he would have preferred to just have sat at home chilling out plus I have been off work this week and we have walked to and from school each day plus to DS2's nursery to collect him later on in the afternoon so DS1 has done far more walking than he would normally do.

I think it all caught up to him today as he was clingy this morning and didn't want to go into the classroom and has been clingy all afternoon. Unfortunately he also gets a second wind at bedtime so, whereas I thought he would be zonked out by 7.30 at the very latest, it is more like 8/8.15 before he is asleep!

feedthegoat · 17/09/2010 20:11

Ds isn't full time yet so not really noticed the tiredness so business as usual for now.

He's still having friends to play and goes swimming and to football once a week each.

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