Evening Schedules for School Aged Kids

Stephanie - posted on 08/19/2009

Hi Jennifer. We have two boys ages almost 9 and 7 1/2. I'm lucky in the fact my husband is home by 3:30pm and I'm home about 5:30pm. Here's how we tackle the school nights:



3:30-4:00ish pm-relax time in their rooms, doesn't mean nap but time to unwind

4:15pm-a small snack like a piece of fruit

4:30-begin homework

5:30-Mom's home, begins dinner (unless dad did it...LOL)

After dinner-finish homework, and is checked by mom and/or dad

?-7:45pm-free time (could be computer time, tv, games)

7:45-Get ready for bed, teeth, potty, lay out clothes for next day

8:15pm-tucking into bed

8:30pm-lights out



Mine don't take showers everyday (every other works so far), but the nights they do we cut free time short by 15 min. The showers stay short (saving me water) 10 min. per kid. We let them have longer showers or baths during the weekend for the playtime factor. If your child is also doing other activities (sports, cub scouts, etc.) and you have weeknight meetings, move the dinner time up so they're finished at least a half hour before you go, and free time is sometimes lost to finishing homework. We've always talked with the boys about nights like this to remind them it's not EVERY night, and they will get free time soon. I think keeping a calendar on the fridge with their schedule has helped because they can always go look to see if a night is open so they're never surprised. Good luck to all the working moms out there! It's crazy but your kids will amaze you with how well they adapt!

Elysha - posted on 08/19/2009

When my stepchildren came to live with us two years ago, we've stuck to a pretty strict schedule on school nights. The youngest, who is now 8, has ADHD so we have to tackle homework early to make sure he still has enough meds in his system to help him out. I also typically handle the routine by myself as my fiance works late.



I get home between 5:00 - 5:30 pm every night so snacks were provided in afterschool care and are not an issue for me. Homework is always first because there are times it takes hours. I try to cook while helping with homework, but sometimes I just have the questions wait until after dinner. This first hour after I get home is the most hectic, but I don't see a way around it.



Directly after dinner, if homework is done, then they do chores, take showers and brush their teeth. Otherwise, they finish their homework first, then do everything else.



Anything after that is free time. If they're slow doing chores or eating, they know the result is less playtime. They're in bed by 8:30 pm, no ifs ands or buts. If they want a drink, it has to be done before that clock says 8:30 pm.



It's a pretty tight schedule and there are times when they have little to no playtime, but it works well for us and they have little complaint unless they did run out of time and that doesn't happen often anymore.