After school / homework time – let the chaos begin! I don’t know about you, but I always struggled to set an afterschool routine that worked and was realistic. Let’s face it, most of the time no two days or two weeks are alike. With sports, dance, music, gymnastics, and family time, everyday and every week is different. My conclusion: there is no “schedule” that will work for everyday or every family. I have often found myself a prisoner of my own schedule, missing time with my kids for the sake of completing whatever task I had deemed necessary for that day. Now that my kids are almost grown, I can look back at what I wish I had done differently when they were younger. So, how do you have a productive homework / afterschool time while keeping balance? I’m glad you asked! That’s what I want to talk about today.
What is a healthy afterschool routine?
First, notice I said routine, not schedule. A routine is an activity or activities that are regularly repeated while a schedule is a rigorous repetition. A routine is more flexible. More relaxed, more like a habit. I know I have to have a least a loose plan of what needs to be done or I don’t get anything done. I’ve also learned that it’s alright to let go of some expectations and that some things won’t get done today. Some days kids just need some extra time to play and burn off energy or steam, and that’s ok. Some days they need extra attention and snuggles from you so you might not get to everything on your to-do list, and that’s ok too. There are some goals you can set everyday to help create a healthy routine for your family. Remember to be flexible and to give yourself and your family some grace.
Things that might be in your routine:
- Snack time
- Playtime
- Sight word and/or spelling word practice
- Homework
- Dinner
- Reading
- Chores
- Studying
- Family time
- Bedtime
Snack time
Kids are STARVING after school! It doesn’t matter if they just had a snack in class at the end of the school day, they’re still starving! Make sure to give them something healthy that will last until dinner time but won’t ruin their appetite and can help them concentrate for homework time. Fruit, granola bars, yogurt, crackers (with peanut butter if there’s not an allergy), popcorn, veggies (with ranch of course!), and nuts (if there’s not an allergy) are all good options.
Playtime
This is a must!!! Kids have been sitting still in a classroom most of the day and need to move and burn off some energy! As a former kindergarten teacher I tried to have my students moving as much as possible but teachers are limited by curriculum and admin expectations and physical space. I liked to schedule my school day by alternating still activities and moving activities when I could, and that’s a good guideline for after school time too. See the sample routine below for what that might look like. This means physical play, not video games!
Sight Word / Spelling Word Practice
This is more for younger students since most schools stop giving spelling tests between 5th and 8th grade. There are several ways to make sight word and spelling word practice into a game which makes it much more fun for your kiddos and they will learn more when they’re having fun! For sight words you could play Memory Match. Just write each sight word on 2 different index cards, mix them up, and turn them upside down. Do 4-6 words at a time for preschool / kindergarten students (8-12 cards total) and 6-8 words for elementary kids (12-16 cards total). Your child can play this alone, turning over cards two at a time to find a match but it would be much more fun to play with you or a sibling. You could use the same cards to play Go Fish. For spelling words you could use Scrabble or Bananagrams tiles to build spelling words, play Tic Tac Toe (each player uses a different color pen or pencil and writes a spelling word in the box instead of x’s and o’s), rainbow write words (write each letter a different color), or write words in similar groups. Spelling lists can often be confusing and require rote memorization along with learning the spelling rule. Writing words together in groups that share a pattern can help kids see the spelling rule and memorize which words go in that group. Ex. long a words: plane, take, blame, faith, wait, mail, great, break. You can hear the long a sound in these words but you can’t hear the spelling differences. That will need rote memorization.
Homework
This is a time to do any homework that is assigned from school. As a teacher and a parent, I’m not a fan of homework but I do see the need in it from time to time. Practice makes perfect, right? Make sure your child has a clean, neat space to work with no distractions. Be available to help if they need it.
Dinner
Make this a family event! So many life skills can be learned during dinner. Kids of all ages can help cook (with adult supervision). Eat together at the table with no TV, phones, or tablets. Have conversation and make eye contact. Teenagers and young adults today don’t know how to communicate with others and make eye contact when talking with someone. This is a life skill we need to teach our kids from a young age. It will set them apart in the professional world later on. Kids can help with clean up too. Putting things in the trash, loading the dishwasher, washing dishes, and putting dishes away are all things kids can do. Play some music and dance while you do it and you’ll have a blast!
Chores
Kids need chores. I know they grumble, complain, yell, stomp, and argue about doing them but they need them. I also know it’s usually quicker and easier to just do it yourself but you’re not really helping your kids that way. Doing chores teaches kids responsibility, respect, teamwork, and that each family member contributes their part. One day your kids will be grown and have a home and family of their own. They will need to know how to cook, do dishes, clean the bathroom, do laundry, mow the yard, vacuum, and put away clutter. I know you don’t want to have to go to their house and do those things for your grown children!
Studying
Older kids need to spend time studying. They need an uncluttered, quiet space where they can look over notes, take a practice test, or re-read material to prepare for a test. Most older students will have tests almost everyday so there’s always something that needs to be studied. They need to learn good study skills like finding a space they can concentrate in, organizing materials, studying for multiple days not just waiting until the day before a test, and taking notes.
Family Time
Family time sounds easy enough but when you have extracurricular activities that pull you in 20 different directions, family time tends to suffer. Try to make it a point, at least once a week, to have a family game night or movie night or outing. Your kids will grow up faster than you ever thought possible! One day you and they will look back on these family times as cherished memories.
Reading
This is another great family affair. Kids of all ages need to be reading. Younger kids can read out loud to parents, grandparents, siblings, pets, or even stuffed animals. I used to tell my kindergarten students that pets and stuffed animals make the best listeners because they won’t interrupt and usually won’t leave! 😉 Older kids need to turn off their phones before bed to rest their eyes and brains. Reading will help fill that time, calm their minds and relax their bodies, getting them ready to sleep.
How Do I Make an After School Routine?
Here are some sample routines for Preschool-3rd grade and 4th-8th grade. These are just suggestions. Like I said, everyday and every family is different. These routines do not account for all extracurricular activities. You are welcome to print these if you want to try to implement them. I’ll include blank templates as well so you can create your own routine.
Here are the links for the routines if you would like to print or edit one to use for yourself. You’ll probably have to create a free account with Canva if you don’t already have one.
Creating an after school routine can help you and your family manage your time and accomplish more as well as helping your kids know what the expectations are. Just make sure you don’t become a prisoner to that routine! Be flexible.
I would love to hear your questions and comments so please leave them below. Please share this post with your friends! Until next time…I’m praying for you, please pray for me!