After School Routine

Need a simple after school routine to help your child decompress in the evenings without excessive screen time? I’ve got you covered!

It is only natural for kids to want to relax after a long day at school, but how do we keep them from begging for screen time the moment they walk in the door? If we as parents don’t have a plan for our kids to follow or screen free activities for them to engage in, most children will naturally gravitate toward electronic devices.

Most of us have noticed a clear link between screen time and behavior problems in our children. If you are looking for an easy after school routine that keeps your kids off electronics, this post is for you! Let’s chat about how to make an after school checklist, what to include in your child’s after school routine, and what exactly your kid can do indoors and outdoors when they get home after a long day of learning.

How To Keep Your Kids Screen Free After School

• Make your child a special bag full of simple screen free activities. You can include things like new library books, markers, a sketch book, a Rubik’s cube, a puzzle, Kanoodle, a word search or brain teaser book. Don’t forget to provide plenty of healthy snacks too!
• Prioritize outdoor play as much as possible. Keep your child stocked with clothes that make play in all weather possible such as jackets, hats, mittens, scarves, warm socks, and nice boots. My children ask to play outdoors even when it is cold because they have developed a habit of consistent play in all kinds of weather and they have the clothes to support that habit.
• Turn off the Wi-Fi, hide electronics, and model screen free evenings as a parent. If you are scrolling on social media or staring at the TV, your child is more likely to do the same. But if you engage your child in preparing dinner and turn to screen free activities yourself, electronics won’t have the same kind of pull on your kid. Instead of scrolling, get outside to shoot some hoops. Take a walk. Learn how to crochet from a library book. Make something with your hands. Do a paint-by-number project at the dining room table. The screen time alternatives for adults and children are endless. Model a lifestyle of creating instead of consuming for your child after school.
• Stock your kids up with audiobooks for cold weather days and late evening hours. You can play these stories on CDs from the library for free or you can utilize Audible. We do both. If you decide to play audiobooks for your children digitally, consider hooking up your electronic device to a Bluetooth speaker and leaving the actual device in a different room. This way, your child doesn’t have access to the screen to scroll or get on other apps. Instead, your child can simply listen to the story while drawing, crafting, playing with kinetic sand, or building Lego creations. In our home, I don’t count audiobooks as screen time. There are so many benefits to children listening to stories whether you read them aloud yourself or provide them with books on CD. Check out my post on children’s audiobooks for more details.

Best Children’s Audiobooks

 Free Printables To Help You Calm The After School Chaos

• After School Screen Time Checklist
• After School Screen Time Rules Free Printable

Grab the freebies here:

After School Checklist

First things first.

Before kids kick off their shoes, grab a device, or start an activity, have them complete a basic after school checklist. It will be easier to maintain this after school checklist if you post it to the fridge and require your kids to mark off each assignment before they get free time.

Here are some basic things to include on your child’s after school checklist:

• Hang your backpack where it belongs
• Empty trash from your lunch box
• Rinse out food containers in the kitchen sink
• Use the bathroom
• Wash your hands
• Brush your teeth
• Change into cozy clothes
• Drink a full glass of water
• Grab a healthy snack
• Place any urgent homework assignments or papers parents need to see in a central location such as the table, island, counter, desk, or command center

Once your child completes their after school checklist, help them ease into a healthy after school routine without screen time.

Easy After School Routine

Outdoor Free Play

Family Connection Time

Homework

Family Dinner

More Outdoor Play or Indoor Activity

Reading or Audiobook

Evening Wind Down Routine

More details included below for what your child can specifically do during each aspect of this easy after school routine.

Try these screen time rules to help set your child up for success during their after school routine:

Screen Time Rules For Kids

Instead of Screen Time Try This After School Routine

Digital Detox for Kids

Outdoor Free Play

After spending seven hours learning in a classroom, kids are in dire need of outdoor free play.

Time in nature reduces stress and helps kids to naturally decompress. It also allows children to exercise both their body and mind.

Instead of allowing screens to be an option, send the kids outdoors for some good old fashion sunshine and play.

What activities do children do outside?

• Ride bikes
• Ride scooters
• Climb trees
• Build forts
• Jump rope
• Swing on swings
• Slide down slides
• Jump on trampoline
• Water garden
• Take a walk
• Jog or run
• Collect rocks
• Pick flowers
• Dig in the dirt
• Examine bugs
• Chase butterflies
• Go swimming
• Go fishing
• Write on sidewalk with chalk
• Read beneath the shade of a tree
• Play hopscotch
• Make up imaginative games with siblings, neighborhood peers, or independently
• Play backyard sports with siblings and peers such as basketball, soccer, football, baseball, and lacrosse

How To Motivate Your Child To Play Outside

Family Connection Time

After a long day at school and work, it can be tempting for family members to retreat to their separate corners of the house with their own devices and isolate.

You and your child may not feel like interacting with one another after interacting with teachers, peers, and coworkers all day long. If everyone is tired, start small. Take a deep breath, prepare a simple snack, and remember to smile. Make memories with your child little by little. Don’t forget to enjoy the after school time you get to spend with them. Watch them play outside, take time to laugh, and delight in this short season of parenting that goes by way too fast.

Set a twenty minute kitchen timer and commit to giving your child your undivided attention during that short time. Go outside and simply hang out.

Even if your kid asks for screens or appears disinterested in your company at first, persist in pursuing their heart.

Children crave love, attention, and affirmation from their parents whether they ask for it verbally or not.

Kids who have intentional caregivers that pour into them on a daily basis have a huge advantage over their peers who are given unlimited screen time and ignored by their parents. Make your home a safe haven of family connection and lighthearted bonding time.

Ensure that your children are not competing with a device for your attention after school. Look them in the eye, smile, and remain lighthearted throughout your evening time together.

During family connection time, silence your smartphone and stash it in the junk drawer. Turn off the TV, tuck away the tablet, and remove video games as an option altogether.

85 Screen Free Activities for Kids

How do you spend time with your kids after school?

• Go for a walk through the neighborhood
• Water your garden and pick vegetables
• Cook dinner or bake a dessert together
• Read aloud to your child even if they are older
• Play a round of backyard sports with your children
• Grab a “How to Draw” book from the library and draw beside your child
• Talk to your kids about their day and ask them for their highlights and low parts
• Include your kids in a house project
• Write a story together
• Play a board game with your child

Best Games for Elementary Schoolers

• Candyland
• Charades for Kids
• Checkers
• Chess
• Connect Four
• Go Fish
• Guess Who
• Hedbanz
• Hi-Ho Cheerio
• Jenga
• Learning Resources Lil’ Lemonade Stand
• Memory
• Monopoly Junior
• Twister
• Uno

Things To Do With Kids

Homework

If homework is required by your children’s teacher, provide a block of time for them to complete it within their after school routine.

Make sure your child has ample time to play outdoors before beginning their schoolwork. Consider laying out a nice picnic blanket or setting up a lawn chair for your child to do some of their homework outside.

Keep TV and electronic devices off while your children study so that they are undistracted and can finish their homework efficiently.

If possible, have your child do their homework by hand, without a laptop, so that they can complete it quickly.

Kids who work on tech typically take longer to complete their homework than kids who use a pen and paper and focus solely on the task at hand.

Have your child complete their homework in an open space nearby you, such as at the dining room table while you prepare dinner or in the backyard while you weed the garden.

Remain close by to answer any questions they may have and bring them water and healthy snacks while they work.

How To Help Kids Love Books More Than Screens

Family Dinner

Instead of propping up an electronic device and allowing your child to “veg out” during dinner, make your table a sacred place where screens have no power to steal anyone’s attention.

Use dinner time to talk, laugh, and savor the flavors of the meal. Most kids simply want to be with their parents. Invite your child to help you cook and to clean up alongside you.

In our home, my husband is a quick eater. After he finishes his plate, he usually reads aloud to the kids and I while we finish eating.

If you or your spouse typically finish dinner before the children, consider keeping a good read aloud book on hand. Take full advantage of the opportunity to get great things in your children’s ears while their mouths are full.

If you are a Christian family, dinner is also an excellent part of the day to have a family bible time.

After Dinner

After dinner is a great time to go back outside. If it has gotten dark out, let your kids catch fireflies or play flash light tag.

Start a fire and roast marshmallows.

Sit around, sing, and play musical instruments together.

Make the outdoors a place your children love to be.

Indoor Activities

If the weather doesn’t permit extra outdoor time, allow your child to do a screen-free indoor activity instead.

What can my kid do after school indoors?

• Sensory bin
• Kinetic sand
• Play Dough
• Puzzles
• Clay
• Legos
• Lincoln Logs
• Magnetic tiles
• Magnetic dress up characters
• Coloring books
• Free draw
• Scrapbook
• Craft
• Paint
• Knit
• Sew
• Bake
• Write
• Indoor exercise
• Board games with siblings
• Practice instruments
• Word search
• Riddle book

Common Parenting Issues Related To Screen Time For Kids

Reading Time

Instead of screen time, include a block for reading time in your child’s after school routine. While too much screen time often leaves kids dysregulated, amped up, and irritable, reading has just the opposite effect.

Reading great books has the power to lower stress, promote relaxation, expand one’s knowledge, and increase attention span. Fill your home with lovely stories and replace screen time with both independent and group reading.

If your kid is used to lots of time on screens and considers reading boring, begin the worthwhile work of making delightful books attractive.

Set a twenty minute kitchen timer, gather in the living room, and require each family member—including mom and dad—to read for pleasure.

Not for school, for pleasure.

Provide your children with engaging paper books and audiobooks to utilize during this time.

Importance Of Reading In Early Years And Restricting Screen Time

Evening Routine for Kids

If you have limited screen time, gotten your kids outside to move their body, exercised their mind with beautiful literature, and spent some time bonding with them, they should be more than ready to sleep soundly by this point.

Screen time in the evening can overstimulate a child and disrupt their ability to relax and sleep well, but the elements of this after school routine will set your kid up for a great night of peaceful rest.

Here are some simple elements to include in your child’s evening routine:

• Pack backpack
• Lay out next day’s outfit
• Bathe or take a shower
• Brush teeth and floss
• Use the bathroom
• Fill up water bottle
• Read a picture book or a chapter of a novel with mom or dad
• Get tucked in and prayed for by parents
• Flip through books quietly for twenty minutes
• Lights out

What is downtime for kids after school?

Downtime for kids after school can be very simple and doesn’t have to include screens.

If you are noticing a link between screen time and behavior issues in your child, consider saving screens for the weekends and sticking to the simple after school routine above on weeknights.

Instead of screens, children can do downtime activities after school such as play outside, read, listen to audiobooks, talk with their parents, play board games with their siblings, create, craft, and rest.

Rainy Day Activities

What is a good after school routine?

A good after school routine is one that your children can learn by heart, one that you will stick to as a parent, and one that leaves your child rejuvenated rather than overstimulated.

Screens are a tempting option for kids after school, but when was the last time your child walked away from a couple hours on the video game console appearing refreshed? How do your kids behave after binge watching a TV series from the moment they get home after school until shortly before bedtime?

In our home, we saw the negative effects of screen time on our kids and made some countercultural choices to become a low-tech family.

Our kids absolutely thrive without daily screen time. Not only that, but parenting has become far easier and way more enjoyable ever since we stopped relying on the electronic babysitter and disconnecting via devices.

If your child needs healthy ways to decompress after school and you as the parent need them to know what to expect, try implementing my simple after school routine!

Tweak it as needed to fit your unique family.

Husband Doesn’t Limit Screen Time for Kids

How much screen time should kids have after school?

If your child is in a rare type of school that allows for three or more hours of outdoor free play per day and does not require them to use electronic devices for their studies, a small amount of screen time after school wouldn’t be such a big deal.

However, if your child is in a typical school system, they are most likely using tablets or laptops all day long.

In additional, kids are not getting the time in nature, free play, or healthy bodily movement that is crucial to child development when they are sitting in a classroom for seven hours a day.

For these reasons, it is critical to reduce screen time at home and give your child ample time to do the good stuff of childhood such as playing outside, making their own fun, and connecting with their family over undistracted, screen-free meals every evening.

Is it OK to let kids watch TV after school?

Every once in a while, some clean and slow paced television after school is not a big deal if your kids…

• Know how to entertain themselves most of the time without screens
• Get plenty of time to explore outdoors and enjoy nature everyday
• Engage in regular free play and unstructured play with siblings and peers
• Choose to read great books or listen to audiobooks for pleasure in their spare time
• Get lots of daily exercise through normal childhood play
• Display creativity in frequent imaginative activity without electronics
• Make things with their hands through crafting, building, baking, or other means
• Communicate well with other humans through conversation, eye contact, and body language
• Have other personal interests that do not involve electronic devices such as drawing, knitting, doing karate, hunting, fishing, scrapbooking, playing sports, or playing a musical instrument

But, if your kids are like most modern day technology kids who appear addicted to screens, then they are most likely struggling in many of these areas.

How To Decrease Screen Time

Kids who are given too much screen time struggle with independent play, free play, imaginative play, and unstructured play.

When children are provided an endless stream of entertainment via their iPad, TV, video games, or smartphone, they lose practice at the normal childhood skill of entertaining oneself.

If the simple things in life such as exploring outside, riding a bike, or reading a book have become boring to your child, consider restricting their time on flashy devices and doing a digital detox.

I suggest removing screens altogether on school nights. The quick transitions and cheap dopamine hits provided by screens do not accurately reflect reality for children.

When we give kids lots of access to tech and then expect them to quietly read a picture book or chase their sibling around the backyard, it is no wonder they declare they are “bored.”

The problem with screen time is that the more kids have of it, the more they want it.

And the more time kids spend on electronic devices, the harder it is for them to entertain themselves and appreciate the regular beauties of everyday life.

This is a vicious cycle and it holds parents hostage.

Caregivers feel like they have to give their kids screens in order to get a break, but the reality is that the more screen time kids get, the harder it is for them to do the good and simple work of childhood.  

Instead of screen time, try implementing the simple after school routine above.

Let me know in the comments below what your biggest struggle has been in your child’s after school routine.

Grandparents Spoiling Grandchildren with Too Much Screen Time