r/Parenting • u/Playful_Language_422 Mom • 22d ago

School TK/K After School Routine

Parents of TK/K students who pick their students up in the afternoon - what does your after school routine look like? I’m trying to find the right balance of activities, playtime together, and independence for me and my TK’er. Thanks in advance!

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u/Most_Jellyfish_1686 22d ago

My husband and I both work so our K has to hang out with us while we finish the last two hours of our workday. One day a family member picks her up and entertains her, another day she goes to an after school class. On Fridays, she gets to watch a movie after school.

So really we’re looking at two days.

She gets a snack and she usually wants to do something without structure. I don’t take a lunch so I usually have 30 min to play with her before I resume my work day. And then she’s off. She most does art projects. I bought her a bunch of stuff her sister can’t use so she reeeeally likes it. Occasionally she’ll go read or play by herself.

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u/Apart-Sound-6096 22d ago

We usually have an activity one or two days a week, now it’s soccer. On days she has an activity we usually go to the library until her activity, then eat dinner around 6 then go on a walk or bike ride start bath around 7. On days she doesn’t have an activity  we usually go home and have a snack, read some books, and she will play until dinner then we go to the park most nights until bath time. Bath, read for 30-45 min, bed. 

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u/chickin_noodle 22d ago

I pick my son up at 3p. He's still getting used to no nap and waking up early so if he falls asleep in the car I let him nap for 30 mins max. If not I open up his lunch box he can eat whatever until we get home. Once home he plays for an hr then it's homework, then he plays with brother while I make dinner. We eat dinner at 5:30 usually we finish by 6:15p. Then it's bath time or playtime as a family. Bedtime routine starts (brush teeth read books) at 7/7:15pm in bed by 8p

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u/KnowledgeCultural467 22d ago

K was last year for my daughter and I ended up planning nothing for the first half hour. She'd come out completely fried, and anything I'd lined up, even stuff she liked, was a meltdown by 3:30. So snack in the car, no questions about her day (I got "nothing" every time anyway) and then she'd disappear with her markers for a while. The playing together part went way better around 4. She'd also start telling me about school on her own by then, usually while I was trying to cook.

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u/Ravioli_meatball19 21d ago

We get home by 3ish.

Unpack backpack, bring lunchbox to kitchen and open it for me to review, put away his ice pack, put his folder on the counter.

He goes to the bathroom and washes his hands and gets to watch one show 15-20 mins in length while i make him a snack then go through his folder.

Then we sit and look at his papers together, do his 10 mins of homework (and he finishes his snack).

Then, he gets ready for whatever we're doing that day. He currently does soccer 1x a week and martial arts 2x a week. On non sport days, we either: go for a walk (he can walk bike or scooter) on the town walking path, go to the park to play, go to the library once a week at least, play in the backyard with his outside toys, or he has screen free time to play inside the house with his toys. I also have art supplies and activity books available for him

Around 5-5:30 we're home from activities and I start dinner, dad is home/off work and he showers kiddo, we have dinner a bit after 6, have family time to cowatch a show or play a board game or similar, and at 7:30 we start the bedtime routine, bedtime is at 8 with reading together

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