Today I’m sharing our after school routines and giving you a free after-school routine chart that you can print and use at home.
This has been a great tool to use with our school-aged children to help them practice a good after-school routine. This chart will help you to nag less and teach independence to your children in an easy way.
Those two hours after school can be crazy! I hope that this free routine chart helps you to create a routine that works for your family.
Create Unique Schedules for Your Children
We’ve noticed that each of our children needs very different things after school. Our youngest really needs alone time after school. Because of this, his after-school routine includes a little downtime for him. After changing out of their uniforms after school Caleb usually spends a good 30–40 minutes in his room. During this time he’s getting dressed, reading a book or just playing with some toys, or just laying on his bed.
As a more introverted child, he needs this time alone to refuel, so while it may seem like he’s being lazy or slow, he really does need a break. He is much more cheerful with he comes downstairs later asking for his snack.
Our daughter, on the other hand, runs into the house, gets changed, grabs her snack, and is ready to do homework right away. She likes getting the “must-do” tasks out of the way and she thrives on having a daily schedule. She knows that she has to get her afterschool routine done before she can go outside with friends.
Because our children are very different our after-school routines are specific for each child. This helps them to practice routines that hopefully will stick around and become good habits throughout their lives.
Don’t forget to download our Morning and Bedtime Routine Charts:
Read about our Morning Routine Printable.
Read about our Bedtime Routine Printable
If you are looking for more free printables to help your children with time management and creating good habits be sure to check out my Daily Schedule for Kids.
Download my Chore Chart for Kids HERE
Be Flexible with After-School Routines
Don’t expect your routine to work every day or for each of your children. It is ok for each child to have a different routine! Did your daughter have a bad day at school? Does your son just need some time with you? These routines aren’t meant to make you a drill sergeant in your own home. Give your child, and yourself the grace to skip the routine if you need to.
Change up the After School Routines if they are not working. There’s no point trying to force something that just isn’t quite right. Changing the routine shows that you’re paying attention and being flexible. The goal is to make the routine work for your kids so that it becomes a habit. Flexibility is your friend.
Be Consistent with New Routines
Once you find what routine works for each of your children, be consistent. Hang up the after-school routine somewhere where it won’t be missed. Point it out every day after school. After several days it will become natural for your children to look at the routine every day. Several weeks later you may even find that your kids don’t need to use a routine because the routine has become a habit.
We have the after-school routines hanging on the fridge and also in their bedroom as a reminder. Before we do anything extra after school, their routines need to be done. Besides the special circumstances, I listed in #2 I try to stick to the plan. Again, this creates good habits that our children will have for years to come.
After School Routine Chart with 2 Design Options
You should receive your download link via e-mail within the hour. Be sure you check your Spam or Promotions folder if you’re not finding the e-mail. If, after an hour, you have not received your link, please contact me and I’ll help you figure out what happened. Please note that your link will expire in 2 days, and it can only be downloaded three times.
Your After School Routine Charts can be Personalized!
The PDF file that you will receive (via email) can be edited using Adobe Reader, a free program. If you are using a Mac you can also edit this file using the Preview program that came with your computer.
On Adobe Reader, you will see blue text fields; these are the only areas that can be edited. This file will allow you to personalize your child’s routine with tasks to be completed each day.