Reception - what do you do after school?

[milkyman]

He finishes nursery at 5pm and is always tired and starving so tea straight away and then ceebies before bed. When he finishes school at 3pm what so u do re: teatime and fillibg time before bed? I want to avoid giving tea at 3.30 but don't want him filling up on snacks and wanting the tv on!

He will be shattered especially for the first term, some even up until Christmas. So relaxing I the evening is a good idea.

If he's used to nursery, he may not be shattered. My DC found Reception far less tiring and was bouncing round the walls for the first few weeks as I'd assumed he'd be tired and planned not to do anything.

I'd go for a small snack after school and tea at your usual time.

Some nights I did tea for 4pm and had my son in bed by 6pm and he would be asleep by 6.10. He was shattered. That was being used to 3 days at nursery a week doing 9-5pm too. Don't underestimate how tired and cranky he may be!!

The second half of autumn term was more tiring for most of ds' cohort.

The winter term is a hard one for them, especially if the weather is crap.

I'd suggest a piece of fruit or similar as a small snack at pick up time (mine always come out hungry) and then dinner at your normal time.

Go with the flow for the first half term to see how tired they are - they may surprise you and be fine, or could be completely exhausted. I wouldn't feel too guilty about a bit of extra tv after school if they are too tired to engage with much else in the early weeks.

Mine liked a snack after school. Fruit, cheese, and, horror of horrors, the odd biscuit! After school there was a gym club, dance, library, play with friends, go for a picnic etc. Winter was coming home and playing inside or clubs on 2 nights a week. Mine were not tired so we always had activities if they were interested in them.

My ds was never tired after school, so we always went to park and he did lots of ex-curr activity after school. I don't think he has ever went to bed before 9 after starting school. But he may not be normal, he is super hyper child.

Irvine I think your issue is that your son is 'gifted' tbh and hyper can be part of the overexcitabilities.

I had one of each DD would frequently fall asleep in the car on the way back from nursery/reception and that would be it for the night ! Ds would be like a little dervish from being cooped up all day and really NEEDED swimming/park/soft play after school. Was like that until he went to secondary, now he is out from 7am-5pm and IS tired.

I never saw any difference with mine and after school they were either in after school club until 5.30 or I picked them up at 3.20 and went to an activity like swimming / gym / football etc

Summer borns may be different but mine are spring born

Oh and yes they were in school breakfast club from that age too. Funnily enough all the parents I know who had no option but to put their nursery / reception age DC in breakfast club and afterschool clubs did and had no issues. The ones who could pick up at 3pm were always the ones that said their DC were exhausted and in bed by 6 lol
I think kids adapt

Schools often send the littlest ones in to lunch first so he may well be hungry by 3.30.

We do snack after school then playing/going to park/activities, then tea at 6. If he is really tired maybe a bit of CBeebies or DVD would be good for chilling out straight after school.

Mine are never tired so we can do music practices and reading or any other homework after tea. Some people prefer doing reading in the morning if their DC gets tired after school.

I think you just have to play it by ear a bit in the first weeks!

We walk home which takes 30 mins. I give a snack on collection: fruit bar, crackers etc. At home we do something together (she has a younger brother) eg play doh, train track etc for half an hour then they watch TV whilst I make dinner. Today she has a cold so I'll let her watch a dvd. In bed by 7pm (she is year 2).

Forgot to say my daughter does Rainbows one evening a week but we didn't do any clubs in year R. Swimming lessons on a Saturday. Twice a week she is collected by a childminder and sometimes we meet friends at soft play after school or have a friend round for tea but not every week.

ds is now in yr2. He was exhausted after school all through reception and first term of yr 1. He got home about 3.45 (3.30 pick up) and i let him have a small snack, play til 5, then tv, dinner 6-6.30, bath, bed by 7.30.

yr1 we added swimming lesson one day after school - much less tired as yr went on.

This year he is still doing swimming one day, chess club at school on one day (pick up 4.15), other 3 days for play/ relaxation.

I don't want to overtire him - some other kids we know do clubs every night...no idea how as school takes it out of my ds...I have noticed the kids who are summer born have tended to take longer ti adjust, but i'm sure thats not universal.

my kids play with their toys after school, then a bit of tv around 4 or 4.30 and then dinner at 5pm. Bed at 6pm. They are very tired.

Both mine were summer born. I knew tired children who were nearly a year older and carried on being tired. Mine never went to bed at 7! They are not gifted but they just were not tired in the evening. They got up at about 7.30 whereas the sleepy children seemed to wake up very early.

Mine were (and still are) 'starving' when they come out of school. They eat a large snack, then a full dinner an hour later!

Snack on way home, do any errands I need to do e.g. pop to supermarket, shops, dad's etc. He plays and winds his sister up until tea about 5. Play a bit more bath and bed .

Relax, play, eat tea, bedtime.