What does your after school routine look like?
Now that the school year is in full-swing, chances are you’re settling into an after school routine to ensure that things are running as smoothly as possible. Sometimes that routine can still feel like a marathon, that’s why we reached out to the San Antonio Charter Moms Community to ask how families in San Antonio balance homework, extracurriculars, dinner, and bedtime.
Here’s how a handful of local families run their own after school marathons.
“My son just turned 9 and he is in the 3rd grade. He is in after school care until I can pick him up around 5:30. Once we get home he does his two chores: feed the dog and feed his tortoise. Then he does homework while I cook dinner and do chores. Once homework is done we eat dinner. Then he gets about 30 minutes of outside playtime unless the weather is bad then we will either play a board game, read books, or depending on the time, watch a movie. He then takes a bath, he reads a book to me and then it is bedtime. I do my best to get him in bed by 8:30. He does have soccer practice on Wednesdays and games on Thursday. He will also be starting basketball soon.”
––Samantha Lee, 3rd grader
“6th grade: Snack, homework, park, shower, dinner (6:45), reading and bed (8:30). Pre-K: Snack, play, color, park, shower, dinner (6:45), play, reading and bed (7:45). We will soon be adding some sort of extracurricular to the mix now that we are closer to the school.”
––Alison Collins, Pre-K & 6th grader
“I have 13-year and 15-year-old twins. The 13-year-olds have two different music lessons, one has scouts, youth group at church one night. Most nights it is homework, dinner, pack lunch, shower, and a little free time. My 15-year-olds are in marching band right now so they have practice until 7:30pm daily, eat dinner, homework, bed.”
––Linda Krenzer Norman, 13-year-old twins & 15-year-old twins
“Snack, homework, 1.5 hours of soccer practice (daily Monday thru Thursday), more homework while eating dinner, maybe TV or phone time, shower, bed by 10:30 at the latest, 9:30 preferably.”
––Abby Hasberry, 8th grader
“We have 7-year-old twins. After school it’s usually family dinner, play time (shower, tv, computer time, whatever), then get ready for bed, reading and a family game of UNO, and sleep. Bedtime is just about the only thing I’ve always been totally adamant about. Lights are OUT by 7:30.
On nights we have Cub Scouts or something at school, of course, that all goes out the window. Then it’s usually some takeout dinner eaten on the run, whatever activity we have, and then home to bed. I do always try to do some reading or a round of Uno since that appears to trigger their little brains that sleep time is coming.”
––Shanti Day, 7-year-old twins
“Definitely a challenge here…nothing else but homework, dinner, showers, before I go to work around 7 pm… homework definitely the most time consuming and stressful at times, with ADHD kiddo and 3-year-old twins around it gets complicated!”
––Yolie Martínez, 3-year-old twins, Kindergartner, 2nd, 4th, & 7th graders
“Get home and start homework, I start dinner. Eat dinner together, read (both are required to read at least 20 minutes, sometimes my older daughter reads to my younger daughter and sometimes my younger daughter reads to us), then playtime either outside or games inside. A bit of TV time. Both girls bathe and then time for bed at 8:30. On Tuesdays my older daughter has volleyball till 9!”
––Monica Cardenas-Perryman, Kindergartner & 3rd grader
“Mon/Wed: pickup, diving lessons until 5:30, shower, homework, supper, (more homework?), free time/TV, bed. Tuesday is a little more rushed because they have gymnastics until 6, but otherwise it’s the same. Thur/Fri is ‘simply’ homework, dinner, shower, free time, bed. Bedtime is 8:30 (8 on a good night), but they probably aren’t asleep until close to 9.”
––Allegra Currie, 4th and Kinder at GH.
