This is especially true in our parenting pain points - which for us includes getting out the door in time for school (getting the timing just right so Luke has enough time to not be rushed but not too much time to get distracted), the two-ish hours after school before supper when there is just a lot that needs to happen (Luke's homework, chores, getting supper on the table, potentially whiny baby, etc.), and convincing the rest of my family that we should really have less things and stop hoarding what I would deem JUNK. (I have not mastered that one yet.)
Last school year it took us months to get into a good after school routine but it was slightly easier because Sam would go down for his second nap almost as soon as we got home from school. That meant I had uninterrupted time to help Luke with his homework, practice sight words, get supper going, and sometimes even read myself. We definitely had plenty of days that were a struggle but only having one kid to deal with certainly made it easier.
Now Sam is older and down to just one nap a day (although it's a GOOD one) and our after school routine has gotten slightly more complicated with spelling words and a vocal baby. It, again took awhile to get in a decent after school routine but now, 2 months into the school year, I think we might be there (although I am totally jinxing us and I am guessing this afternoon is going to be a disaster, just because I said that). (Update from later - it was a bit of a disaster but the NEXT day was back to smooth sailing.)
Matt is on a variable work schedule where he could be home early enough to get Luke from school (I LOVE when that happens) or he might not be home until 10pm (which has happened this school year but only twice). That's a huge shift in when he's done and having an extra set of hands really makes the afternoon easier. But it's also rare he is home that early and we need a routine that I can handle fine on my own. Sure, it's much easier to do Luke's homework with him when I'm not also trying to keep Sam from climbing on the kitchen table (his new favorite past time) but it's also not great to wait until Matt is home and it's just about bath time and moods are fragile for homework.
Here is our current school routine, which happens about 90% of the time.
Luke's in an uniform this year so first thing when he gets home is changing his clothes. We keep his after-school play clothes on the hooks Matt made in the stairs since he can usually wear the same clothes a couple days in the row since they are only on a couple hours at a time (but never discount a 6 year old's ability to get dirty). Then he's supposed to take care of his backpack which means putting his lunchbox next to the sink so I can see what he's eaten/not eaten but also clean it out to repack later in the evening. He also takes out his homework binder and envelope with little books to read and hangs up his backpack on the stair hooks.
Luke has a chore about 3 days a week after school, none on Friday and usually Wednesday off too, just so we have some flexibility in our after school schedule, in case we decide to go to the downtown library or have a doctor's appointment or something (and then I move the no chore day to whichever day we have after school plans). But the other days he does his chore while I prep an after school snack. Lately it's been cut apples with caramel dip because it's fall. Maybe we should have more variety? But neither kid is complaining about apples & caramel.
I sit down with the boys and we eat. Then wash up Sam (never discount how messy an 18 month old will get with caramel) and set him free to play. Which usually means bringing me books he wants read and the aforementioned kitchen table climbing.
Since I already have Luke at the table we read his decodable books and I sign off on those. Then lately we've been doing his "binder work" - reading through a sheet of words that he wrote at school 4 times. This was a major pain point in our evenings a couple weeks ago until we started bribing him with a sticker chart that will earn him a hot lunch (his most ideal prize) when full. I don't want to hear that you shouldn't bribe your kids, when homework was taking as long as it was taking us, I am really really good with a bribe that will end up costing me a whole $4 and save me a lunch I have to pack.
He gets through binder words and then practice spelling words a couple times each. Sometimes I have him write out ones he is struggling with but it depends on how close he is to the test and how much he is struggling.
Ideally, all this can and usually is complete within an hour of getting out of school and then he is free to play until supper. I've found it works much better for us to get him settled at the table with a snack and then, since I have him there, knock out his homework right away, before he is distracted with playing outside and definitely doesn't want to come in for homework. And since he always HAS to come in right away to change his clothes, he can't skip all the inside stuff and go immediately to playing outside.
That means the only thing left on my "after-school with Luke" mental to-do list is to read to him and we do that after bath and prayers and before bed (more coming with reading to him next week!). It feels much more manageable when there is just one thing, with a pretty set time, than the nights when there was more. I like knocking it all out right after school and any complains Luke might have are gone pretty quick when he realizes he has at least an hour until supper and nothing his Mom is going to be nagging him about. It's win all around!
If you have school kids, how do you handle those after-school afternoons?
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