20+ Ways to Decompress After School

If you have kids in school, you know that the after-school transition is KEY.

After a full day of paying attention, being quiet, and being around so many other people, kids want to come home to a routine that lets them decompress!

I asked on Instagram what different after-school routines look like and there were lots of great suggestions!

Here are some of my favorites decompressing routines that parents and teachers suggested for after school:

SNACKS, SNACKS, SNACKS

This was 100% the number one answer for good decompressing routines. And no matter what others after-school routine looked like, a snack was always involved. After a long day of being “on”, a good snack is a way to refuel. Here are a few of my favorite suggestions!

• Snackable box all ready to go at home. “Some sort of snack out on the table helps them get much needed nutrition and foster them actually telling me about their day.”
• Snacks in the car in the pickup line! “Usually my kids are starving and we have a 30 minute drive so food helps them relax a little in the car on the way home.” (P.S. This is my favorite on the go snack box. And it’s only $10)
• “Honestly a snack in the car on the way home prevents a lot of meltdowns in our house. We also allow our kids to watch something on Mondays (usually a short show) and Fridays (movie and pizza to help with the hardest days of the week. It seems to help plus they know not ask the other days.”
• “I rarely do it but if I have a snack ready to pull out for them the second we walk in the door I feel like everyone is a lot nicer. We have our kids come straight in and empty/ wash lunchboxes, take any important papers out of the backpacks etc right away.”
• “Eat snacks while listening to an audiobook on her Yoto.”
• “If you pick them up in the car, have the temperature really comfortable and don’t talk to them. Just a smile and hello. If you have a snack, do it. A cold drink absolutely. When we get home, I have a semi meal ready for them. Or some heavy snacks. We eat a late dinner. I’ve done TV and no TV and honestly no TV no screens is the way to go. It’s a rough way for them to decompress. And then getting off of it makes them even more agitated. I give them food and a big hug and I get out for about an hour. They do what they want to do and know that we don’t do screens.”
• “Always have a protein filled snack i.e. yogurt and fruit, apples and peanut butter, then let them relax before any asks. Kids are asked to do SO much at school they have earned some mindless down time before homework or chores.”
• “Honestly we just do a big snack and some cozy TV time on the couch with a blanket (sports for us are mainly on the weekend). The kids have been “on” all day and this allows them to just chill out for a bit and give their brains a break. We do homework right after dinner at the table.”

A QUIET ACTIVITY

Kids have been surrounded with people all day and a little quiet time and space might be just what they need. One follower said “Consider what you do as an adult or what you want to do when you come home from work. Rest.” As someone who can be introverted, having someone carve out that time for me each day sounds like a dream! Here were the suggestions from parents:

• “Art – sketching, coloring, play dough. Just have it out. Also a snack tray with healthy choices.”
• “We all grab a snack and read independently for 20 minutes when we get home.”
• “My oldest is almost 8, this past school year it really helped her to be able to do a quiet activity by herself for a bit before having her younger siblings begging to play! She likes building small LEGO sets, paint by sticker books and coloring. Also having some kind of snack already setup curbed the hangry feelings.”
• “Choose a book themselves, give them a snack, and put on classical music. This worked well for us before and after school activities started. My younger ones this is still what they do.”
• “The first 30 minutes home is put up your backpack and zone out (read, just sit, stretch, occasionally a show) before homework/sports/dinner. It helps them relax and breathe for a minute with no expectations after a day of having to focus.”
• “We do a mandatory 20 minutes quiet time. Kids walk in the door, take off shoes and backpack and then straight to quiet time. I don’t ask them to do anything before this. They can color, read, just sit there, or do anything that doesn’t involve another person. It has made the biggest difference.”
• “Doing something creative (drawing, legos, magformers, puzzles) while listening to piano/favorite music or an audiobook. Doing something outside (going for a walk, bike ride, play with a pet.)”
• “A glowstick bath. My child has eczema and can’t use bubble bath. She loves turning off the lights and relaxing. It’s been a nice alternative she uses after a long or tough day.”
• “We play a quick card game tougher while eating a snack. Since we do this together there’s no getting stuck on TV or playing and getting super upset when mom says it’s time for homework, but we still get a little break after school”
• “Mine typically draw or reads solo in their rooms for a bit. (10 year olds but they’ve been doing this since first grade.)”
• “Have calming music playing“
• “Mine are snack, separate siblings for few minutes, don’t require any listening skills (no to do list, no chores, no homework etc. ) for 15-20 minutes”
• “Kids sit and eat snacks around the kitchen table while I read aloud. (my best read aloud tips here) My kiddos are older now (upper elementary and middle school) and still love to do this. Sometimes it only lasts 5 minutes, but it serves as our transition between school and home modes.”

GET MOVING

You may have a child that needs quiet time, but some kids have so much pent up energy and are dying to move!! Sitting still all day can be tough and providing some built in movement time is a great break for their bodies and brains! Here’s how other families implement movement right after school.

• “Getting my 6 year old son physically active and having a good snack made a world of difference vs. days we didn’t do that.”
• “I know for me as a teacher doing my workout after school really helps me decompress. So imagine a a lot of kids who have just sat a lot of the day would also benefit from moving.”
• “I drive kids to school most days, but having them walk home has been a great opportunity to decompress. They are much happier when the get home after they walk vs getting a ride home.”
• “Change clothes, have snack and get outside! Homework can wait. We homeschool but that is what we did when my kids were in school.”
• “We have a snack and then take a walk together.”
• “Play and snack first. Let them get out all the pent up energy, shake out their sillies. Change clothes. Then you do chores, homework, supper, etc. Also don’t fill up every evening with activities. Kids need time to be home and chill.”

TO CHAT OR NOT TO CHAT

I don’t think there is a right or wrong way to get conversation going with your kids after you haven’t seen them all day. Each kid/family is different and has different needs, but here is how other families are dealing with the after school chatting.

• “Let them have time to let them chat with you about their day. And just listen no advice unless they ask for it. Being a SAHM it is easier for me to do that.”
• “We let her have quiet time and save questions for the dinner table.”
• “Big snack and movement for at least 15-20 minutes. Also no asking them questions. Allowing them to lead the conversation.”
• “I haven’t done nearly enough, but my kids have loved having “tea time” in the afternoon, with a snack and telling me about their day! My older ones love to go play outside with friends.”
• “Don’t bug them and ask a million question until they’ve had a snack and some time to just chill, especially boys.”
• “I try to save some easy dinner prep and work on that when they enter, drop their stuff, and grab something to eat and sit down at the kitchen bar. Rather than immediately pressuring the download, my tasks made me available but low pressure. Typically they open up, share about their day as I chop veggies or whatever.”
• “Just be ready to let them be. No questions or pressure. Our kids prefer no after school activities just walks in the bush and home time. They have to unpack their lunches and tidy belongings but then get to just be free.”
• “My number one tip… Save the questions for later. I know we want to hear about their day, but 90% of the tie they aren’t ready to be hit with questions. “I’m so happy to see you” goes a long way.”
• “Ask them their three feelings for the day.”
• “I don’t ask about school until bedtime any more, after school they are not in the head space to talk about the day yet, we do it while snuggling in bed. Also The Lazy Genius talked about setting out a snack board that changed my life.”
• “As teacher I always encourage the following to parents: Snack and conversations about their high and low of the day. Get them outside and moving. Then chores. Never start with homework, if they have any, because they’ve already been in a classroom all day. They need a break. Lastly, doesn’t matter their age, sit down with them and read to them. It is a great bonding experience for everyone.”

If you liked this post about ways to decompress after school, you might also find these other posts helpful:

• 20+ Strategies for Packing Kids Lunches
• Quiet Time: My Very Best Parenting Secret
• 7 Reasons I’d Pick Yoto in a Yoto Vs Tonie Match Up