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

[AbbiCMumsnet]

This activity has now closed.

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 cuddle up on the sofa and watch the Night Garden - the littlest one enjoys it and my four year old still loves it too!

Playing with the pug!

In the summer - we'll cycle home from school together - a good way of winding down, burning off some energy & getting some exercise.
When we get home - it's snack, drink & a quiet game of cars (his favourite!) or drawing (my favourite!). When he's in the mood - he might help me prep dinner, but often he'll just have some quiet time playing until dinner is ready.

We tal about the day and eat dinner. If no homework, or once it is done, we watch so eth8ng lime Merlin or Blackish to relax. Then reading before bed, or, more likely, social media all round.

It depends on the time of year. Now it's getting colder and wet it's nice to all snuggle on the sofa and watch a film. In the summer months a walk along the canal or to the local park burns off some of that extra energy they seem to have in the warmer months.

Making tea together, so I can teach them the basics of making a meal and healthy eating...while chatting about our day with some music on

Snack first - they are always starving.

Play outside or inside crafting for half an hour and then homework.

Both my dc are usually tired and grumpy after school and it's worse if they've been to clubs. We try to limit how much they have on in the evenings while they are wee as they get exhausted otherwise

Stroll along the beach with the dog, followed by a cuddle on the sofa. Usually with a sandy dog in the mix

We chat about school on the walk home. I really like time to process my day and I think the children feel the same way. Usually, my eldest will go and read on his beanbag in his room and my youngest will do some drawing in the kitchen while I try to impose some order on the chaos that was left as we all raced out of the door in the morning. We usually listen to music and occasionally have a dance.

That said, some days they just want to slump and watch TV and that’s always fine too!

We just have a snack and watch tv in our pants.

Mine are 7 and 3, we've never been into strict routines but after school is so busy, esp with clubs/lessons 3 days a week that I've found a routine is necessary - more for the 7 year old because he is just busier. After school we have 30 mins TV with a snack - an apple and two slices of malt loaf is the standard though we do vary. Then up for a bath - DS loves a love splash and this is a real relaxing time for him. After bath there is 10 mins of tv (a specific program and an incentive to get out of the bath!) then dinner. We all sit together at the table for dinner and discuss our day - this is a different form of relaxation and allows us to follow anything bothering them. Only then do we do spellings/reading/times tables - I don't think he could handle doing it earlier. The day always ends with stories in bed for both of them.

Chill out on the sofa and chat

When I’m between jobs (freelancer!) I pick them up from school by bike and we take a little ride around the neighbourhood just chatting about everything and nothing. Then we get home and I fill them with food, they like to get their homework over and done with so after that we can really wind down, sometimes we colour or read or play chess or unstable unicorns and they can have 30mins of telly before dinner

We talk on our way home and then on our way to after school activities. Afterwards, he needs to do his 3 things (eat, wash (including brushing teeth & change clothes) then he has 10min of playing. Lastly it is prayer time and straight to bed.

We go and say hello to the ducks on the river

We normally walk the dog after school and we use this time to talk about our days.

Normally quieter toys and games. Limit screens and also arts and crafts as gets a bit wild!

Snacks are my first stop. My eldest relaxes best in his bedroom with some music on, he loves to sit and draw comics.
My youngest likes a good 20 minutes sat in front of telly completely silent then he comes and helps me prepare dinner in the kitchen. He absolutely cooking and baking, you can see it really chills him out.

Snacks on the way home definitely, followed by downtime either watching some netflix or doing some activity books- sticker books and colouring are a favourite here!

Everyone gets home and gets out of uniforms.
We usually have relaxing music on and have some snacks and chat about the day.

Totally depends on how tired they are. Always start with a snack as they're ravenous. Then we either do some crafting/reading or they veg on the sofa for a bit with some telly for a wind down.

After nursery my DC likes to be read to, do an Orchard Toys game, play with Duplo, or engage in elaborate imaginative games (currently the favourite involves casting spells with a stick carried lovingly home from the park!)

If its dry getting outside to play or if its wet doing crafts. We walk home so chat about our day then.

Pot of tea / glass of milk and a slice of homemade cake (or shop bought if I’ve been busy) with a catch up about the day’s events helps to ground them and reenergise them before tackling homework and hobbies.

Having a routine helps because they know what to expect

They have a snack and can chill for half an hour, then they do their homework while I make tea so it's not hanging over them/us, then we eat together followed by games or a film together before the bedtime routine starts.