After School Routine for 1st Graders
It’s hard to believe it’s already September and we’re almost a month into the new school year! With my daughter now in first grade, I wanted to establish a clear after school routine right from the start.
In this article, I am going to share my first grader’s after school routine and explain the importance and benefits of establishing a routine.
Here is a checklist of my first grader’s after school routine. This is a basic summary of how our evenings play out after school. Keep reading for more details and suggestions for each item.
- Empty Backpack
- Snack
- Homework
- Chores
- Free time
- Dinner
- Family time
- Bath
- Screen time
- Read
- Brush teeth
- Bed
Benefits of routine
Before I go more in depth, I wanted to list a few of the reasons I wanted to set a routine and the positive outcomes I’ve noticed since doing so.
- Establishes clear expectations of your child
- Makes sure important work is done (homework and chores) so it doesn’t get pushed off or forgotten about
- Helps with time management so the evening doesn’t get away from you
- Develops your child’s sense of responsibility
- Puts off screen time until tasks are completed
- Allows for spending quality time together as a family
- Helps child develop good habits
- Allows for free time so your child can relax and have fun
In the first month of school since establishing a routine, I’ve noticed a positive impact on my daughter’s attitude. She whines less about homework and chores and even voluntarily helps with additional chores. She is more focused when completing her schoolwork and her reading which has furthered her comprehension. We then have more free time to enjoy as a family.
After School Routine
I’m going to go into more detail about our routine now that I’ve shared some of the benefits. I do want to mention that this is not meant to be a super rigid routine. It’s natural to allow some flexibility. I’ll discuss more about this later.
1. Empty backpack
As soon as she gets home, she empties everything from back pack, lunch box, and folder and puts everything away. (This usually takes a few gentle reminders.) Then we go through all her take home papers together.
2. Homework
She then completes her assigned homework, and reviews sight words & lightning math facts. I try to let her complete what she can independently, offering assistance where needed (which is still quite a bit at this point).
3. Snack
Have a variety of after school snacks available to chose from. I let my daughter pick what she wants, but nothing too heavy that will spoil her dinner. And I like to save the sweets until after dinner. Some of the typical options I have available are fresh fruits, goldfish, granola bars, yogurt, and peanut butter crackers.
4. Help with one chore
Age appropriate chores for a 1st grader might include cleaning their room, helping unload the dishwasher, dusting or vacuuming, feeding the pets, helping make dinner or setting the table.
5. Free play time
This is time for them to unwind and play as they wish. Whether it’s playing with toys, playing outside, crafting, etc.
6. Family Dinner
Sit as a family and have dinner together. Ask questions and talk about your day. I purchased some table topics cards on Amazon that we sometimes use as conversations starters around the dinner table. We also like to play I Spy.
7. Family Time
Continue spending time together as a family after dinner. You can play a game (a few of our favorites are Life Junior and Disney Eye Found It), do a craft project, play catch, go for a bike ride or any other activities you enjoy doing as a family. Need more ideas? Check out my Ultimate Fall Bucket List for 30 fun things to do with the family this fall.
8. Bath
9. Screen time
After a successful evening with good behavior, my kids earn some screen time as we start winding down the day. This could be watching tv, playing on the tablets or watching a family movie.
10. Read
After screen time, we read together for a least 20 minutes every night before bed. We do a combination of her reading to develop her skills and me reading bedtime stories to her and her younger brother for bonding and hopefully to foster a love for books.
11. Brush teeth
12. Bedtime
I try to have both my kids tucked in and lights out by 8:30 pm. We usually head to bed a little around 8 to allow time to brush teeth and chit chat a little about the day. My daughter tends to open up about things before bed and I want to allow her that time to talk.
Be Flexible
If your child is in sports or other activities, you’ll obviously have to adjust the schedule on those nights. I also very often will combine a few things. Such as allowing her to eat her snack while she works on her homework or brush her teeth right after her bath. We also do a lot of dinners and play dates with friends in which case we combine our free time, dinner and family time into spending quality time with friends.
Side note
In case you were wondering what my 4 year old is up to this whole time…
He pretty much has free time all the way up until dinner. I do try to get him to help with some simple chores too. Then the rest of the night looks about the same for him as it does my daughter. Next year he starts kindergarten and I think we’ll be able to use this routine for him too! This routine can easily apply to children in other elementary school grades.
Love this after school routine? Leave a comment to share your thoughts!
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