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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

What do your kids do straight after school?

56 replies

MajorClanger123 · 07/03/2016 12:03

Just curious really....mine do after school activities Wednesday & Fri. Other than that its straight home and muck around until tea, then after tea they're allowed some screen time (depending on my day will depend on how early / late I cook tea and therefore what time they get screen time ), then we do reading / homework and hurry them all upstairs for bath etc.

It always feels abit manic (3 kids to bathe, read to / be read to etc). Just curious what other families after school weekdays look like...

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redskytonight · 07/03/2016 12:45

Straight after school ...?

Demand food and drink and then plug themselves into the day's current favoured electronic gadget. Oh and they do empty their bags first because I got fed up of it still not being done at bedtime

neshi · 07/03/2016 12:48

Monday and Tuesday only days without activities and on those, we come home, they play for around 2 hours, then reading-homework, dinner, bath bed! They may get some screen time while I cook on on the odd day I have to work and need them quiet, but generally I avoid.

hazeyjane · 07/03/2016 12:51

Mine come in, pile all their bags, coats and shoes in the 'pile', dd1 and 2 (9 and 8) throw themselves down in front of The Next Step, and talk at the same time in a language I don't understand about the various failings out, it's so unfairs, oh my god you won't believe what happened to such and such, and general babbley guff, while Ds (nearly 6) screeches like a banshee while I get his splints off, and wrestle him out of his coat (he hates taking clothes of any sort off) and I try to direct him to the calming influence of the iPad, so I can drop snacks into their open gullets like baby birds.

Then I manage to take off my coat and go for the wee I have been waiting to do for the last half an hour.

NotCitrus · 07/03/2016 12:51

Ds age 7 - takes shoes off, goes hides in his room for about 45 min, then is perfectly pleasant for the rest of the night. Tea around 6. Sometimes we do a game or home learning before or after tea. Up to bed from 7.30.

Dd is 4 and collapses on the sofa, and again recovers after about an hour.

It's a mile walk home with a snack, and sometimes we go to the park on the way, so never home until 4 at least. Very glad we only get homework once a fortnight, but bathing doesn't happen every night.

Original poster

MajorClanger123 · 07/03/2016 12:56

Haha at hazeyjane - I'm totally with you on the wee thing!

These sound good - similar to our after school antics.

Middle DD runs upstairs & plays in her bedroom until tea, Eldest DS hangs around (refusing to tell me anything about his day until, literally, right as I'm attempting to turn out his light much later), youngest DD also hangs around waiting for food.

It just always feels like they're waiting for tea so then they can have screen time. THen we have the epic reading battle. Should I do that straight after school? They just seem to need to decompress right after school.

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hazeyjane · 07/03/2016 12:58

Sorry, you were asking about homework.

Because after school is a manic snack fest/decompression zone, they usually watch TV, play xbox/iPad, while I cook tea, we have tea, then pile upstairs, where the girls do stuff in their room, like homework, reading, sewing and stuff and Ds screams while I try to wash or bathe him (he does a lot of screaming) then we watch something nice all together, and I take Ds off to try and get him to sleep, and the girls sit in their room and do their homework, or read, or listen to a story book.

MargotLovedTom · 07/03/2016 12:59

If not got anything on after school then then they eat me out of house and home, watch TV, angle for the iPad and bicker a lot bit . When the weather warms up hopefully they'll go outside and play with some of the other kids in the street.

Original poster

MajorClanger123 · 07/03/2016 13:01

Thanks Hazeyjane - not asking specifically about homework, I guess just an overall view of what after school time looks like, partly because I'm nosey, to see how & when everyone fits in the crucial homework / reading / spelling / eating / decompressing parts of the day.

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BosomySusan · 07/03/2016 13:05

Today I'm implementing a new strategy. It's going to be (calm and serene) bags unpacked/repacked and PUT IN THE RIGHT PLACE, any homework/spellings done, kit and uniform located INCLUDING SHOES ready for tomorrow. Then we can have tv on. Can you tell I had a stressful morning this morning? That's what comes from having a 'day off' yesterday.
In practise as we won't get home till after 5 today, who knows what will happen.

HelenaJustina · 07/03/2016 13:07

We only have two days where we come straight home after school and on one of those they go back out to an activity at 4.45 so bit manic.

Tend to come in, get them to unpack bags, get homework/reading out and do half an hour (helping 3 children at once while DC4 colours/whines/plays depending on mood)
Then send them away while I prep meal, feed them, they tidy up, pack bags for school/next day extra-curricular then 20 minutes of screen time if not a bath night.

I always try to take a snack to pick up, mostly because we don't come straight home and also to get it out of the way.

allegretto · 07/03/2016 13:07

In the summer we are in the park until about 6.30, then baths (not everyday in the winter), dinner at 7.30, stories and bed at 9pm. Same in the winter but tv or play instead of park. They are 6 but haven't started school yet so no homework - next year we will have to fit that in plus some after school activities maybe.

Happymummy007 · 07/03/2016 13:20

Home, tea (or whatever I can get her to eat), TV until about 4.45, then homework (varying amounts, and depending on whether there have been after school clubs or not), more screen time, bath, bed.

MumOfTheMoment · 07/03/2016 13:27

Home by 3.30, tv and a snack when they get in.

430 homework then free time but no screens

6pm tea

Reading then quiet play with me or dh

730pm shower and bed.

Our lives have improved greatly since I moved homework from after tea to before. They get 45mins/1hr chill out first then just crack on with it.

MumOfTheMoment · 07/03/2016 13:28

They are yr2 and yr4 by the way.

Original poster

MajorClanger123 · 07/03/2016 13:34

Agreed mumofthemoment - reading all these posts I think i'd like to push tea back (from 5pm-ish to 6pm) and, like you, get reading / any homework out of the way before tea. Then have a later tea, small amount of screen time followed by bath & bed.

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WhereDidAllThoseYesterdaysGo · 07/03/2016 13:42

We do snacks and drinks round the table while they argue about who tells me what about school.
Then their 'jobs' by which I mean reading, spelling, learning times tables, homework. This probably only takes half an hour.
Then they play, play outside or we might bakes or arts and crafts or whatever.
Tea around 5.30 to 6
Showers, into night things then a bit of telly.
Dh comes home and reads them a story
Bed.

Two nights a week we have activities when it's all a bit more rushed and random

WhereDidAllThoseYesterdaysGo · 07/03/2016 13:44

Agree with moment. Life is much better now we're I'm a routine of homework asap. Then it's out of the way. For me as much as them!

Cuttheraisins · 07/03/2016 13:45

Tv, play on tablet, snack, and/or football in the garden, or we have play dates once or twice a week. Then they help me set the table, they eat at 5 and I have a cup a, then homework and play u til 7. 7 to 7.30 is bedtime to and bed at 8.

SummerMonths · 07/03/2016 13:50

There are only Fridays when mine don't have some combination of music lessons/gymnastics/swimming/drama after school. On Fridays are usually arrange for the two oldest to have friends round and basically we get home, the my all demand food hen run off into the garden to bounce on the trampoline or roller skate or play chase or make camps, unless it's pouring in which case they tend to drive me crazy my sliding down the stairs on duvets or making camps with all my sofa cushions.

We don't have any electronic gadgets which they have access to and they aren't allowed tv in the week so I guess I bought the mess on myself.

Homework and music practise is done after dinner or after clubs on other days. Usually around 7pm (an hour for the eldest and much less for the others who I put to bed around 7.30pm).

onemouseplace · 07/03/2016 14:51

Same as WhereDid - snacks and drinks round the table as soon as we get in and I go through their bags (Yr1 and R here) and have a cuppa while we chat. Then it's reading/ homework etc. which again takes 30 mins or so. I get dinner ready then while they either watch tv or play - then more tv after dinner before bath.

On the days we have after school activities we end up doing reading/ homework after dinner before bath and it all feels a lot more rushed and traumatic.

noramum · 07/03/2016 15:03

DD is in Y4:

Monday - straight home from school, bit of food, handwriting practice and reading in her second language, violin practice

Tuesday - Thursday - at childminder until 5pm, at home normally chilling out, times table or/and spelling if there was no time in the morning, violin practice on Thursdays. She has late clubs on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Friday - currently drama classes but will stop after Easter. We want one day she can just slump in her room.

At the weekend there is homework plus swimming and bi-monthly riding lessons.

duplodancer · 07/03/2016 15:10

Snack and chat when we get home and whilst I look in bags. Then free play time, (usually followed by something on TV whilst I cook if they start to get needy). Supper about 5.30, straight to bath afterwards and then another episode of something on the iPad with their milk in my bed. We do reading in bed and any other homework in the morning after breakfast when they're rested and fed!

Two or three times a week we have play dates or swimming though so it's all out the window.

Very occasionally I'll do a board game with them and feel great about it.

Palomb · 07/03/2016 15:12

Food and minecraft!

whatamidoinghereanyway · 07/03/2016 16:39

Mine come home and sit straight down to do their homework and have a sandwich then it's sport or activities and after they they have time to do as they please which is minecraft, playing football, games etc. Then tea, a bit of telly and bed!

dairymilkmonster · 07/03/2016 19:16

DS1 is in reception and comes straight home everyday at the moment. Too tired for after school activities but swimming planned for sept. in autumn did park after school sometimes but too cold at present with tired 4yr old.

School finishes 3.30
Home 3.45
snack and drink
play: mostly lego, other building dtuff, dinos, playmobile. But mostly lego. Part way through we stop and do reading or any other homework (not every day)
sometime 5-6 depending on requests/tiredness etc TV goes on. DS1 only really likes more factually based things at the mo like operation ouch, horrible histories, my life , any other things from cbbc that are 'real' as he says, historical documentaries i have recorded...time team, coast....bit wierd like that. I don't mind some downtime.
6-7 dinner (varies depending if all eating together or adults later as dh on call)
bath every other day
stories
bed 7-8 depending on bath or not!

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