What Is Your After School Routine

My daughter comes home, I let her unwind and deflate.. I give her a snack.She is often hungry after school.
Then she does homework.
After homework, I let her do what she wants... and that is also when my son naps... so it has to be quiet things. She knows that.
And that is also when I do other chores or cook dinner... but my daughter knows the after school "routine" and my son too.
So its fine.
She reads or plays or watches some tv. Which is fine, to me. She does not watch a lot of tv anyway.

If on some days after school, my daughter is tired too, she will also nap.

My kids are 4 and 8 years old.

all the best,
Susan

I have all boys. I found that when they were young, they needed a LOT more outdoor/ run around time than the school day provided. 20 min of recess daily and 30 min. of PE twice a week is not enough physical acvtivity for many kids when they are in school for 7 hours.
The weather is perfect right now to kick around a soccer ball, go for a bike ride, head to the playground....then they can do a little homework while you work on dinner after that.

I found that my kids needed to blow off a little energy for about 30 minutes before settling in.

I was going to say the same thing Laura did - get them to run around outside before you get home. I know Austin has a lot of running parks/trails. Maybe pack the car with balls, bubbles, hulahoops, etc. Perhaps have a different competition or game to play and change it each week.

Then get them home, do homework and watch tv while you cook and get other things done.

If you don't do the park thing, then when you get home, let them have a snack, watch a little tv to relax, SET A TIMER for the tv and when the timer goes off, the tv goes off too. Get them to help you cook dinner or wash dishes as you toss them into the sink. Or have them set the table, etc. Being a former teacher, if they say they are bored, have them read a book! No teacher will argue with your children reading too much. :)

My DS is in preschool so he also has very little homework, I solve this problem either by asking his teacher to put extra copies of what they are working on in class in his folder and we do it at home.
But as soon as we get home he changes out of his uniform and gets into his play clothes. He usually goes outside and plays for about an hour and then he comes in and he can watch one cartoon show, which is half and hour. Then he has the choice he can bring some quiet toys out into the living room or he can play in his room with his louder toys. And while he is playing is normally when I prep for dinner, if I havent done it while he is at school. Then we all eat dinner together and after dinner he takes a shower and we read books or do one of his educational websites until its bed time.
Its not always easy, especially since we have a new baby in the house which requires alot of the time that we used to be able to give to him undivided. But he functions so much better when we stick to the schedule which makes life a tad bit eaiser.

My son gets about 10-15 minutes to "decompress" after school, then gets a snack & does his homework. Then he can play til we eat, then it's bath, snack, a tv show and bed.

Pack a snack when you pick them up and head to the park for an hour. Then when you get home you'll know they've had their running around time and it won't matter if they have a bit of TV while you're making dinner.

When my son comes home after taekwondo (he's 12), it's about 6pm. We do snack, homework, clarinet practice, supper, shower, tv, reading, then lights out at about 9:30pm. Depending on how much homework there is, sometimes there is no time for tv at all.

After school is used for telling me about his day snack playtime while I cook dinner home work (if he has any) a cartoon then dinner time no later than 6:30 after that bath time & teeth while I do dishes by then it is usually close to 7 more TV or play time then read a story bathroom before being tucked in their bed time is no later than 8 every night

my kids get home at 3. i already have dinner ready, and house cleaned (as much as i had wanted to). they change into 'house' clothes. get a snack, then we do homework (usually about 15 min for both). then we play a board game, or read a book. around 4-4:15 i sit with them and have dinner.
that usually takes about 30 min (between laughing, and talking about their day). then they play some together, involve me some, draw, make up stories etc. then bathtime around 6:15, followed by jammies, drying hair, eating a healthy snack and an unhealthy snack. 7 is bedtime, teeth brushed, read a story, and in bed by 7:30. they are asleep shortly after.i must say, i miss them when they're asleep :(