Find out how Mumsnet users wind down with their kids after school

[AbbiCMumsnet]

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It’s September, and for most families that can mean only one thing – back to school. And with that comes the daily duty of whisking everyone out the door on time, helping them out with homework, and guiding your kids through playground politics. To say term time is jam-packed is an understatement – that’s why we’re so keen to hear how your wind down with your kids after the day’s hurly burly.

Here’s what IKEA have to say:
“We all know that every child is different. The same applies here: where one might like to sit and colour, another might want to play football in the garden. The secret is to make things easy for them, keeping all their favourite things organised and easy to find. That way they can happily while away the hours with minimal fuss.
Speaking of reading, a great way to nurture it is to give your child a dedicated space just for them and their books. Keep theirs on the lowest shelf, give them a comfy chair to settle into and they’ll be away.
Arts and crafts are a great way to relax too, and brilliant way to nurture your child’s creative side. Encourage their inner Picasso by keeping all of their supplies in easy to find containers right by their desk. Don’t forget to keep your carpet from turning into a masterpiece though – a plastic floor protector is a lifesaver here.”

So, what are your tips for winding down after school? Do you have certain activities you can bank on to keep things calm? Maybe there’s a toy or game you’ve got, ready to play with when they get home? Or maybe it’s a spot of drawing that does the trick?

Whatever you do, we’d love to know. Share your tips for how you relax and wind down with your children after school on the thread below and be in with a chance of winning a £300 IKEA voucher.

Thanks and good luck!
MNHQ
Standard Insight T&Cs apply

We chat all the way home and then as soon as we get in he goes straight out to the garden to play football which helps burn off his excess energy and relax. I make dinner as he eats so little at lunchtime he's ravenous! Then we talk over dinner, he has a bit of time on his xbox or iPad before we go over spellings and read together.

Lots of crafts to take my little girl's mind off starting school as she's finding it tough.

Stick them up chimneys. Obvs.

Cat come to the castle, we're all there.

My kids like to do some arts and crafty things, they also like to read books and play with Lego. I then tell them to go and have a shower, brush their teeth and get ready for bed, we usually read a book and then it's lights out. We are pretty laid back people which seems to have made the kids laid back too

The favourite wind down in my house is colouring we love to sit and Colour and chat about the day and maybe watch a bit of tv

Something physical - playing in the garden, building forts and doing laps of the living room... to much energy built up!

let them do what they like within limits, if they want to watch tv, thats okay, a nice cup of their fave drink and snack, reading with them or running a nice bath

Only having the tv on for a short time. Then it goes off at dinner and not back on until the kids have gone to bed!!

^these posts are very vanilla
Go on tell the truth will ya!
In our house we fight
I'm grumpy as shite
Your curations don't sound to familiar^

Everyone has a wank and a soothing mug of gin.

When DC come in we sit down have a chat and they have a drink and a healthy snack to eat (including fruit or chopped up veggies). 30 minutes of wind down time gives them time to relax before they get on with their homework.

*@NewModelArmyMayhem18
*
Surely you get your clogs on and have a good old moshing?! Sounds much more fun!

*nits (and knots)

We head to the park for a game o football most days

When we get Home we usually have a pissing competition, who can piss the longest and loudest. Followed by a farting contest, same longest and loudest. We love snax and cake so a gargantuan tea of those followed by a bracing swim in one of the moats with the ducks. Give them a good going over at the same time. If there is a clear sky it’s up to the ramparts to scream at the stars then down, more snax and to bed in a puppy like huddle together. First Thister awake the next day make tea for the rest. Life is good.

We always sit down after school with a healthy snack, for the kids and coffee for me and chat about our day, its a good way to unwind

We look at their reading books, often we will do some baking, and love icing cupcakes after dinner, then it's unwinding with a walk to the park, or CBBC.

Is this thread for real?! God.

When we got in from school we were stuffed in front of the telly for two hours until Dad came home while Mum was working. Dad then shovelled food down us - imagine a penguin feeding its chick and you'll get the picture - and supervised homework, by which I mean he sat and read a book while we kicked each other viciously under the table. Then we were forced up to bed and given dire warnings of serious personal injury if we came back downstairs.

And I'd still prefer that over snuggling up with Mum on the sofa with War and Peace and some artisanal organic cucumber sticks.

My children are older now but when they were younger the priority was always to get food and drink down them first. If the weather was fine (and sometimes when it was not) they would get second wind and rush outside to play and let off steam! After this they would be ready for tea and we would get the chance to talk about our day before homework and bedtime routines. I miss those days!

Give us money Ikea you Swedish minimalists. Stick your vouchers up your arse.

Thigh you need some carbs.

The notorious ikea thread
So enticing, until it was read
Such repetitive drivel
Made us poor Thisters shrivel
So we killed it until it was DEAD