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
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when all of mine were in primary school on ry days i wouuld let them play in the school playground with thier friends - theres woody bits etc - which helped them decompress

now they are age 8-12 i let them do what they want. DS2 likes to sit on the sofa with his tablet and a snack. DD age 10 likes to chat and have a snack and DS1 age 12 likes to dissappear into his bedroom for a while

I usually let the DC play independently when they first get home from school which usually involves them playing with cars / dolls / action figures etc.
Then we'll do some reading which is always relaxing (& usually involves a snuggly blanket and some cuddles!).
Real down time will be watching a bit of tv but half an hour max.

Cuppa and a snack, then they pretend to do their homework for a while until I notice and make them actually get on with it... Then they watch the TV or read while I get on with cooking dinner. We often play a board game of an evening now that the nights are drawing in.

Chilling out on the sofa with some books - DD loves choosing them from the bookshelf herself!

Snacks first - always! Then whatever they want as long as they can agree, or at least not intefere with each other. School is a long day so I think they need time to wind down.

Walking home or driving if it's a club day usually gives us a chance to wind down. I find that he's more likely to chat then than if we are face to face over tea for some reason.

I usually let him watch a couple of programmes as soon as we get in before doing any spelling practice or reading. I like him to have a break between school and any work at home as it seems to give his brain a chance to separate the two worlds and make him more likely to do any homework without protest (but he's only in Y2 so there's plenty of time for homework arguments I'm sure .

Each day of the week ends a bit differently for us, and each of the kids has at least one day when they're the only child in the car home, so I get one-to-one chatting time with each of them at some point in the week. The car's a great place for worries and problems to come out because we're stuck there for a finite period of time with no offputting eye contact to get in the way. So we often talk about their day, or what's going on with school or friends or things that are on their mind. We always eat together properly too, which is a slightly less intense opportunity to hear everyone else's news. And then we tend to watch the TV news together, which is a good opportunity to explain and discuss 'big' subjects that they may not fully understand or may be worrying them.

I must say I prefer the unstructured days we have during the school holidays though!

Ds only started school this month so still settling into a 'routine'. So far the best evenings are a nice walk home to get some fresh air, then a snack, then reading or play, then ipad while i make dinner. Worst have been enormous melt downs as he's so tired! No after school stuff planned til he has a bit more energy. Reading these tips with interest

After a long day at school and after school club (8.40-5) and work for me we snuggle on the couch, talk about the day whilst having a snack and drinking and end our routine with a catnap. After its homework for him and dinner preps for me.

We chat about the day in the car so that when we get home we can leave school behind us (we try to do homework in a couple of bursts over the weekend as not too much at the moment). Lucas will have a snack/drink and usually chooses to do some Lego, drawing, dot to dots or Minecraft

DS has autism so needs his wind down time after school. He goes in the bottom bunk of his Kura bed, which is made into a den with a curtain and play with toys.

Dd1 and dd2 tend to draw or write stories.

When it is warmer they will play at making homes for snails and perfume in the garden.

On a Friday we might watch a movie together with popcorn as a treat.

I like to keep them outdoors for as long as possible, because then they're generally calmer when we get home. We walk home different ways, to see the fire station or climb trees, go in the playground, whatever they feel like. Usually we have snacks and drinks along the way.

Then when we get home sometimes they drift off and find their own things to do, other times they want me to sit with them and read or play board games. When the eldest gets home the younger ones either play together or watch a cartoon, eldest sits at the kitchen table, has a cup of tea, does his homework and chats to me while I cook.

Walking home. It takes about 20 minutes, but really helps them to relax. Even in the rain.

Sometimes just putting on the tv and letting them beg for half an hour before we talk homework and dinner helps.

I always get a little plate of nice nibbly things and a pot of weak just warm tea ready. We sit in the playroomwith nice cups and saucers and have fifteen minutes just the four of us talking and no tv, or any distractions.
It calms them down and it is a lovely little routine

Talking on the way home with some shared reading when home.

Depending on weather we might go to the park or river for a picnic. We also enjoy dusky walks together. We talk about their day and work through any issues and sometimes use role play to try and come up with workable solutions to any issues, this is good fun as well as informative. They’re still at the age where they enjoy homework so we often work through things together, all great for bonding.
We aim for at least ten minutes of uninterrupted play completely led by them and if it’s not a late homecoming, eg non working day then they can help to choose and prep dinner. We also love big snuggle in mummy’s bed where we all take turns to read stories.

ask about their day on the way home.
come in and relax with a snack and some tv.

At the moment it is painting and Lego by DD5 is just about starting to read fluently so I was to sort out a reading cosy nook for her as soon as I can find the money.

Its really only on Fridays that we have this down time as dd has clubs/activities mon-thurs. In the summer/decent weather it might be playpark and icecream. Winter or wet weather all winding down with a film and popcorn or doughnuts.

Homework bath then chill with the telly for an hour something family friendly to unwind to. Weekdays don't have enough hours.

Snuggling up on the sofa and talking about their day, whilst having a nice cup of tea and a couple of cookies ❤️

Does anyone on here work in recruitment ? I would like some advice / tips please as I’m going to a job interview in a week and I have really bad social anxiety. I have been off work for over a year due to illness and am wanting to get back Into work. I am fine on the phones and can get interviews it’s just the talking face to face part and trying to sell myself that’s the issue. I have had a couple of interviews recently and one I burst into tears and the other I went blank. My confidence is at rock bottom but I need to work both for money (single mum with 2 girls) and for my own sanity . I really want this job I’m going for but am so scared I’m going to mess it up again . Sorry for the long message

I always ask them what was the best bit of today, what made them laugh, what was the worst bit etc, an after school snack and then some free time for playing with toys and watching TV before tackling homework, clubs, activities etc

Teenage DD at home and the TV is still a firm favourite!

Cuddles on the sofa, maybe a couple of board games or some colouring whilst chatting about their day.