Each week we will be sharing a tip from our school psychologist, Mrs. Rollins.

This week we are talking about the Importance of After School Routines.

Good teachers establish good classroom routines. Why? Because it helps students know what to expect and how they should respond to instruction. Good routines lead to smooth transitions between activities and allow fewer opportunities for disruption. The same can be helpful when a student comes home after school.

A good routine can create a smooth transition from school to home. What should you do for your student? It depends on their mood as they come home. Do they come back home full of energy, grumpy or tired? Different activities can help redirect that energy, relieve that grumpy mood or perk up your sleepy student.

As your student comes home you might have them deposit their back pack in a specific spot and wash their hands/use the bathroom if needed. A snack like yogurt, fruit cup, crackers with peanut butter or a glass of milk can help settle them at home and give them energy for the afternoon.

After washing their hands and having a snack, some students might need to go outside to work off some excess energy after sitting at school or through the bus/car ride home. Other students might have walked home and are now ready to sit watching their favorite show, reading books, playing a video game or taking a short nap (depending on their age).

After doing an activity, your student may be ready to work on homework. You could review items in their back pack at this time and look for any important papers that might be sent home. Some students may want to do their homework right away to go do other activities without homework hanging over them as a reason they have to stop.

Depending on the age of your child there may be chores expected of them when they get home after school. You may want to order your activities so that chores or less fun activities are followed by a more fun activity that they can get to sooner if they complete their chores quickly and well.

Having a couple activities (play outside, video games, shows, board games, coloring, sensory activities like moon sand or playdough) for your student to rotate through can keep the routine fresh and exciting.

If you have multiple children they may want turns doing similar activities. For example, if Juan and his sister Isabella both like watching a show after school, Isabella might do her homework first while Juan watches his preferred show and then Isabella gets to watch her show while Juan works on his homework. After homework for both is done, they go outside to play.

If your child attends after school program then this routine could be much shorter with wash hands, deposit backpack, preferred activity, dinner, any homework left/backpack review, preferred activity, and transition to bedtime routine.

Your student’s input about preference in snacks, activity, and order of events can help the routine go smoother. Some students may need a verbal reminder to transition while other students may need a timer to cue them to transition from one activity to another.

Some students may find a visual schedule where they crossed events off as they are completed or move a magnet from one column of in progress to a completed column helpful. The need for a visual schedule may fade with time as the student solidifies their routine in their mind.