Afterschool Routine for When Children Come Home Tired But Resist Sleep

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Every mom I know fears afternoons when kids give up their naps. The school going children are the hardest. Here’s what I know about afterschool routines

Do you feel like your day just hits a major roadblock between 3-5 pm? If you’re a mom, I’m sure you can relate.

According to parenting expert Gina Ford, in her book “Contented Little with Baby,” this time slot is crucial for young children and she advises to avoid taking any calls during this time.

When I first read this, I was skeptical. How could it really make that much of a difference? But after talking to other moms and experiencing it for myself with my own grade-schooler who comes home at 3 pm, I have come to believe in what Ford says.

The afternoons seem to be the prime time for tantrums and constant demands for attention from my preschooler and toddler, leaving me feeling overwhelmed and frazzled. I’ve been a mom for seventeen years now, and during this time I’ve learned one valuable lesson: prep for the 3-5 pm slot!

How to manage your kids when they won’t nap

The main reason for them getting on with the tantrums is because they are just tired at that time. My son, during the school year, comes home from school at that time. I found that my Back Home Routine helps relax him. They want someone to welcome them.

If you are a Stay-at-home-mum or Work-at-home-mum then, it is better to set that time of the day to receive them. An hour or so of exclusive time with them can do wonders.

If you are a mum who works away from home, then being their for them at the time they come home can be difficult. If you can manage to be home at that time, then you will need to give them more attention because they really want their mom at that time.

A few minutes with them on the couch before you go to change and get lunch or supper can do wonders. You both get your rest… if you have more kids then you all get a total family time and then all off for themselves. The kids in their toys to relax or read or whatever and you too.

What if you have little babies too?

Then too, get the baby or toddler or both involved with the big kid. I have had a baby and a toddler for 12 years. What we did was that I make sure the girls are up from their naps at least an hour before my son comes home. They are fed and ready to receive him.

As soon as he comes home, we tell him how much we missed him and what we have planned or done through the day. A little treat or if he is in the mood for lunch together later, he is ready for some quite time with his sisters. I usually let him do whatever he wants to with the exception of screen time.

Screen time for him means mobile, tablet or computer. He has already come home tired and disturbed, even a few minutes of screen time makes him get out-of-control-crazy.

We are having summer these days. I don’t know about you but mine are very hot and Thankfully, really calm. We don’t have school but I enrolled him in a gym for swimming, soccer and Taekwondo classes for the evenings. All boys need to vent their energy somewhere.

How to Survive Afternoon Time When Your Kids Come Home from School

It’s amazing how one moment of not giving my kids my undivided attention can quickly spiral into chaos. That’s why I have a few tricks up my sleeve to make sure things run smoothly during this time.

1. Plan ahead:

I always make sure that my older child has snacks and activities ready for when she gets home from school, so she doesn’t feel neglected while I tend to the younger ones.

2. Keep it simple

I try not to schedule any big tasks or errands during this time, as it can be a recipe for disaster. Instead, I focus on simple and fun activities that we can all do together.

Take a deep breath: It can be tempting to get caught up in the chaos, but sometimes all we need is a moment to collect ourselves. When things start to feel overwhelming, I take a quick breather and come back calmer and more patient.

3. Switch off your mobile phone

Let the calls go on to answering machine and get off the messenger or WhatsApp. Personally, I have told all my friends and family not to call me between 3-5pm! They have seen the consequences of it. Either my kids will be crying or something will be terribly gone wrong. I am so distracted at that time that if even if they told me something really life altering, it would go unregistered with me. I am always with one ear to the phone and the other listening to and answering my child while pleading with them for just one minute more!

4. Avoid screen time

Put away your laptop, tablet and save those TV programs for another time, mom. No really, just hide your technology. If your kids get their hands on it, you will be in big trouble.

Somehow, no matter what time you deem fit for their technology hour, this is just not that time. Things always go bad. They want to see just one little video or play one game but somehow it just goes out of control and they start to cry. Simple solution to the problem, hide those tablets, laptops and mobile phones and make sure to keep the TV switched off!

5. Avoid high sugar snacks!

Another thing I try to avoid, is the sugars or high carbs. Never give candy or chips when your child is tired or hungry. It shoots their sugar level up, makes them hyperactive and then after a few minutes or more, their energy falls even low than they were earlier. They will cry and get terribly out of control. 

The safer healthier choice is protein. Give them nuts, fruits,  yoghurts or smoothies if they won’t take their lunch.  There are a lot of tastier options to try. I also like to dish up something new and something that will surprise him… delight them even. Yes, all those fun kids recipes you pinned or wondered about.. this is the perfect time to present them!

6. Get your lunch ready before that time.

If you have a kid coming home from school during that period, do it before he/she gets home so that you are really there for them.

7. Offer quiet time toys

This is that time to unwind with your kids. Play dough, paints, crayons… Oh yes! bring them on. Don’t show them what to do. This isn’t the time to teach. It is a time to let them lose themselves. My son loves to play all his building toys at this time. Lego, Make it Moov it, Gears, Screws, anything that he can craft or draw or create. My toddler likes to have some blocks or Quiet boxes or her make believe things. She will just put on my scarves and heels and go around. I will lether pull out all my shoes for the sake of sanity. (It hurts, yes! My shoes!) .

8. Water! Let them Splash around!

Never under estimate the power of a bath! I have learnt my lessons well and one of them is that baths and lollypops are a mom’s best friends.

Don’t give them lollypops during this time though… because you don’t want that sugar rush in the middle to escalate the matter even further. But yes, let them splash around. If you have a pool… all the better! If you can take them swimming, you get to have some good time too!

9. Perfect time for sensory activities.

Bubbles, bubbles everywhere… If you have a wand and some bubble solution that you have made up or bought… you are in luck! If you don’t have a wand, get creative… use whatever you can.

A little science experiment can be fun. Penne Pasta? Straws? Thin wire? A small mouthed bottle? Yes… imagination… give it wings!

Ot let them enjoy play dough and other sensory materials.

10. How about a book?

This is the best time of the day to read a really relaxing book. With my first daughter, we started a tradition in my home – my son and I would get down on the rug with a few throw pillows and she’d just roll around us. Sometimes, she napped. Sometimes, we read for two whole hours. We sort of embraced this way of introducing kids to books.

This afternoon time is best for reading and finding new books. It is also great for journaling and scrapbooking!

So if you’re a mom of preschoolers and toddlers, remember to plan the 3-5pm slot! But with a little planning and patience, it can also be a time for bonding and making memories with your little ones.

Need help creating your own daily routine for kids?

If you’ve tried routines before and they fell apart within a week, it isn’t your fault. And it is not your child’s fault either.

A sample schedule tells you what to do. It doesn’t tell you how to get your child to actually cooperate with it. It doesn’t give you a morning routine chart your 3 year old can follow independently. It doesn’t tell you what to do when the afternoon falls apart, or how to handle the days when everything goes sideways.

That gap between knowing what a good routine looks like and actually living it is exactly why I built the Calm Confident Children’s Bundle.

Here’s what’s inside:

• 20 done-for-you routine charts — school time, summer, homeschool, morning, afternoon and evening routines, all formatted and ready to print tonight
• 3 Family Rules charts — screen time, quiet time, and house rules — so your child knows what’s expected without you having to repeat yourself
• 20 accountability and progress charts to make cooperation feel like a game, not a battle
• The Perfect Routines Workbook — a step-by-step guide to customising a routine that works for your child’s temperament, not just a generic 3 year old
• “Is My Child Getting Enough Sleep?” workbook — so you can stop guessing and start adjusting with confidence
• 150+ play and learning activities so you always know how to fill the morning and afternoon slots meaningfully

One mom who used it said: “My home went from chaos to calm in one week.” Another said: “No power struggles since. A happier home.”

It’s $39 — less than a single trip to the supermarket — and you get access within minutes of purchasing.

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