What is your routine after school?

bylromarha

onlyroz wrote: »

To all of you putting your school age kids to bed at 7 or earlier, when do you find time for homework, reading, learning spellings, times-tables practice etc etc that the school expects us to do every day?

We normally haven't finished clearing up the pots from dinner by that time, let alone started on homework.

Spellings/times tables in the journey to/from school. Reading was when we got home each day, or next morning if they were too tired after school. Homework was a Saturday morning job as it was once a week.

We were on a hiding to nothing if we tried to do school work after dinner. Stressful for both us and them.

I'm a firm believer that little and often is far far better at this age and the more interactive and fun it is for them (silly voices/test mum/deliberate mistakes etc) the easier it is to do.

Having said that, if school is giving too much home learning in your opinion, have a chat with the teacher. 10mins daily reading, 10 min daily practice for weekly spellings (Up to 10 words by Year 2), max 5 min on 1 times table for the week, up to 2 weekly homework tasks of up to 20 mins each (maths/english/a.n.other) is what I would find acceptable as both a KS1 teacher and parent.

Spendless

onlyroz wrote: »

To all of you putting your school age kids to bed at 7 or earlier, when do you find time for homework, reading, learning spellings, times-tables practice etc etc that the school expects us to do every day?

We normally haven't finished clearing up the pots from dinner by that time, let alone started on homework.

Don't forget that many of these answering are basing it on being able to pick up their children at school finish time themselves and take them straight home, so have from 3.30-4pm-ish onwards to fit everything in.

If you are struggling with the homework routine when you get in, doesn't the kids after-school club offer help for them to do it there? That's something that is offered by them where I live.

I found mine needed 'downtime' when they came in from school, rather than immediately go to homework. They'd just finished school and wanted to 'chill-ax' rather than be starting schoolwork again. I do live a very short distance from the Primary school they attended though, only a few minutes walk, so that might have made a difference. maybe a longer route home would have made them more amenable to doing homework when they got in. I'm the same after a day in the office I don't want to tackle the household paperwork practically as I walk in the door. I need some time for me first.

Lunar_Eclipse

onlyroz wrote: »

To all of you putting your school age kids to bed at 7 or earlier, when do you find time for homework, reading, learning spellings, times-tables practice etc etc that the school expects us to do every day?

We normally haven't finished clearing up the pots from dinner by that time, let alone started on homework.

In reception, we read daily at bedtime. Bedtime (lights out) was 7pm. I know loads of children who were in bed as early as 6pm during this first year caus they were so tired.

Spellings & times tables were always done with breakfast and on the way to school.

Other homework was always done at the weekend since it was set weekly.

Dinner clearing up has always been after bedtime or first thing in the morning in our house. Most children aged 4-7 need 11-13 hours sleep and rightly or wrongly I prioritise that over them learning the value of chores.

The first term of full time reception is very tiring. We had days when dinner was served as soon as we got home at 4pm caus they were either starving (hence snack wouldn't cut it) or I knew they wouldn't manage it later (Fridays!)

These days I have two teenagers. Dinner time in the holidays is around 7.30pm when DH arrives home, but we're already back to 5pm starving time now that term time is upon us!

OP: I would offer a light snack for the journey home from school and then go straight to dinner, bath, pjs, reading time if your little one is like a zombie!

Sezzagirl

If your Little One has just started school, I wouldn't worry too much about making a set routine immediately


He will need a bit of time to adjust to the new school day routine and you may find that once that excitement is over, things settle down on their own.


If practical, you could maybe give him dinner a little earlier or, if he doesn't eat his dinner, you offer a sandwich or similar before bedtime rather than waiting for him to ask for something. That way, you know he's not going to go to bed hungry and he will be getting to bed without a fuss


Things change so much in these first few weeks. A bit of flexibility is a useful tool!

GwylimT

Pick up 3:30, home at four, do spellings reading etc until 5. She then helps me make our meal for the evening that we eat at around six. Bath at 6:30 and bed at 7, she is in year two.

We don't so snacks, their meals should be plenty, if hunger is an issue after school the lunch may need tweaking.

fabforty

GwylimT wrote: »

Pick up 3:30, home at four, do spellings reading etc until 5. She then helps me make our meal for the evening that we eat at around six. Bath at 6:30 and bed at 7, she is in year two.

We don't so snacks, their meals should be plenty, if hunger is an issue after school the lunch may need tweaking.

Most school lunches are at 12-12.30 pm, six hours seems like a long time between meals, probably even for an adult, let alone very small children.

Spendless

My 2 are always hungry after school. That started when eldest went to school Nursery and he did afternoon sessions 1pm till 3.30pm, so had lunch before he went and we lived 2 minutes from the nursery door! My friend whose daughter went to morning sessions only came across this phenomenon when her dd went to reception and thought there was an issue with her eating lunches until I explained the 3.30 hunger monster that turns up! Still affects my kids now and they are in yr8 and yr11.

Diamond_Orchid

My son has just started as well, but because I work full time I need wrap around care.
So he gets breakfast and pre-school activities in the morning and then dinner and after school activities in the afternoon, until we pick him up.

Even though he has his dinner, I think around 5pm, by the time we get home and have had ours or while ours is cooking, he asks for something else. It is still early days in our routine, but we give him a snack, usually he wants an ice cream or some fruit.

In your case, I would offer a piece of fruit as a snack to make sure he has dinner. If he wants something after dinner, then he can have dessert or another snack, but not too close to bedtime.

thriftyemma

Mummy to 3 kids, DS1 in year 3 of new junior school, DS2 in year 1 and DD just started in reception. New school year, and a new school can be very tiring. I agree with some other posters, downtime after school is important. Sometimes you just need to veg and wind down. I give a snack, such as rice krispie square or a banana, and let them watch mindless TV for half an hour. 15 minutes of homework each night, then they can play. Dinner is at 6pm when OH gets home from work. Given that all children in reception to year 2 get a hot, hopefully nutritious meal at school, I don't think dinner has to be too filling. To keep it simple I just give small portions of what we're having. A small cereal biscuit before bed, and 10 minutes reading practice. 4 year old is in bed at 7, the rest are staggered later.