After-school routine

What It Means

An after-school routine is the set of steps a child moves through each weekday between arriving home and dinner. HealthyChildren.org, from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), describes a healthy one as a snack, some exercise, time to relax and study time, in whatever order works for the child. Keeping the same order most days means the afternoon runs without a fresh negotiation every time.

How It Sounds at Home

• "Snack first, then outside for a bit."
• "Homework before any screens, you know the deal."
• "Shoes off, lunchbox in the sink."

The Breakdown

How to set one up

1. Write down what has to happen before dinner: a snack, some movement, a break and homework, plus any small jobs like emptying the lunchbox.
2. Put them in the order that suits your child. HealthyChildren.org leaves the order open, so a child who needs to run first can play before sitting down to study.
3. Give each step a rough length and check the total against the time you have. The tool above does the math.
4. Build homework time into the week before signing up for activities. HealthyChildren.org suggests planning for it when choosing what else your child does after school.
5. Keep the same steps on most school days, and let weekends run looser.
6. Look at it again after two weeks and move whatever keeps causing arguments.

Try it today. Before pickup, decide the first two steps (for example, snack at the table, then 30 minutes outside) and tell your child in the car so they know what's coming.

A sample weekday

The times are an example. Shift the whole table to fit when your child actually gets home.

Good to Know

CDC's physical activity guidelines call for 60 minutes or more of moderate-to-vigorous activity every day for children and teens aged 6 to 17, so the after-school hours are a natural place for some of it. For homework, HealthyChildren.org suggests a consistent, quiet spot and a household rule that the TV and other electronic distractions stay off. If your child will be home without an adult for part of the afternoon, Buhata's latchkey kidLatchkey kidA school-age child who comes home to an empty house and spends time there without an adult, usually while parents work. See more page covers the AAP's guidance on readiness and your state's rules.

Related Terms and Categories

• Family routines

  The regular, predictable ways a household handles the repeating parts of the day, such as mornings, meals, homework, chores and bedtime.

• Homework routine

  A set time, place and order for doing schoolwork at home each school day, so homework starts without a fresh argument every afternoon.

• Homework station

  One set spot at home for schoolwork, stocked with the supplies a child needs, so homework starts in the same quiet place each day.

• Latchkey kid

  A school-age child who comes home to an empty house and spends time there without an adult, usually while parents work.

• After-school program

  Supervised care and activities for school-age children in the hours after the school day ends, often with homework help, enrichment, sports or clubs.

• Kids morning routine

  The same short list of steps a child follows each school or child care morning, such as dressing, breakfast, brushing teeth and grabbing a backpack.

Family organization and routines