what do you do with your afterschoolies

[adele1985]

Just woundering what everyone else does with their afterschoolies - I have a 9 year old who just dosent seem to be happy - going in strops when she doesnt get what she wants

By the time i get back from the school run its normally 3.45 ish ( the mindees start going between 5 and 6)

By the time we have sorted tea out i dont feel ive got time to go on outtings (we sometimes take the dog for a quick walk around the block)

I normally just let them have free time afterschool in the playrrom to be honest I try and do 1 foucus activity like baking, junk modelling, making playdough or art and crafts a night.

this mindee is not happy unless she has my full attantion or shes getting her own way (for example after picking hr up from school we popped into the shop so i could get some stuff for tea - as soon as she heard me mention the shop she started going on about this magazine she wanted (£5) i told her i wasent buying her it .....que strop one which i ingnored. we got bak to the house and i asked her what she would like to do which she replyed well i told you what i wanted to do ... i want to make a hat that was in the magazine

I suggested that we look on the internet (ignoring the attitude) she wasnt happy with that, i suggested doing a craft activity again she wasent happy with that, She then told me she was going on my laptop on a game she liked

At the point I had had enough of her attatude and told her unless she changed her attatude she wasent allowed on the computer and I sent her in the playroom to cool down - she came out like a diffrent child and was finw after that

These occassions are becoming more and more regular .. I tell mum and mum has words with her ... i honestly dont know why she strops as it dosent get her anywere

I have her untill 9 tonight:panic: i hope for my sanitys sake she comes out of school in a better mood tonight

[kel1983]

We have atleast 2 after school. They are 5 so not really at that stge. They are very happy to just get on and play usually role play with dressing up and th eplay kitchen and food.

We start to sit down for dinner at about 4.15 as it then takes them over half hour to eat. They then have between 20 - 40 minutes to play again.

Tha last couple of Fridays its been just 2 mindees after school so I have put a dvd on for them.

[Daftbat]

My afterschool kids are generally very good at organising themselves. They have access to board games, dressing up, the garden and TV.

I sometimes do a planned activity, perhaps twice a week, but to be honest they are often shattered from school and dont want to be organised by me too much.

We have snack straight from school and then they choose what they want to do. I think that you are likely to burn yourself out by doing a planned activity every night.

[sarah707]

We have group planning in the background and all the children can join in with that if they wish.

We also plan one adult led activity a day with the after schoolers but often they just want to play together which is fine. We get them outside whenever we can to run off some energy.

I have never given in to requests for comics or things from the shop - mummy doesn't give me money for that, sorry!!

It sounds like you are handling things well - getting tough and being consistent works with this age group. However if her behaviour is impacting on the little ones then you are legally required (by the Eyfs and Childcare Register) to give notice.

I hope it's sorted quickly xx

[tialil]

All depends on the child. I only provide a snack so have more time to spend with the children. Used to provide tea but it used to take so long due to trying to keep children amused .
I tend to do a lot of craft type activites but the children(all after shool) I have at the moment are not that interested so its mostly board games, top trumps,chess, card games etc. Tv very rarely goes on(their choice). They also have a folder each with wordsearches, dot to dots etc and drawing paper/ exercise book.

Could you make a little questionaire/tick chart with activites that you are willing to do/provide and ask her to chose her favourites that she would like to do. Might help :)

I do not buy magazines either - to expensive and hopefully if you keep saying no she will learn not to ask.

good luck x

[singingcactus]

Meh.....leave her to it! She's too big to be treated like a baby, and she knows it. Leave her to her own devices for long enough and she'll come up with something that she enjoys doing. You're her childminder, not her imagination!

She's at the stage where she knows she's not a littlie anymore, and she's finding it hard. Just like a toddler learning to talk that we give lots of time to get his words out, we have to give the big kids plenty of time to work out who they are and what they want. If we keep offering suggestions and quick fixes then they never get the chance to explore all areas of their personality.

And same as a toddler should be allowed to express themselves through tantrums sometimes, a schoolie needs to express themselves through strops - cos they honestly still don't have the vocab to fully express how they are feeling and why they are feeling that way.

[buzzy bee]

Mine are generally happy to play on their own (especially with the Duplo - not older child lego but preschool duplo - even the 10 year old!!) I have a big box of arts and crafts stuff which they love doing. They can also use the PC if they want to, and I have board games etc. But recently they've just been doing role play with the duplo!

They also love making peppermint creams - I just buy a big block of ready icing and some peppermint essence and food colouring and it keeps them happy until dinner time, then they have them for pudding!

How about taking her to the library, so instead of buying a comic she can pick a special activity book she can use at your's, or if you don't have time to take her to the library you could just go and get her some of those activity books on your own...

Or how about asking her to help you cook the dinner? Mine love doing this and then she'd feel like she was getting your special attention and meanwhile she isn't bothering you!!

[adele1985]

she is obsessed with moshi monsters so my plan is to subscribe to the moshi monster mag to keep at my house she can then take photo copys of the activities and them - also gonna buy some moshi monster trump cards and figures all to keep at my house and she can ocupy her self with them

What do you think ?

[sillysausage]

Bear in mind at 9 she may well be starting to get hormonal (it seems to get earlier). She may not understand how her emotions keep changing. Keep calm and be firm. If she's been with you for some time then she will be perfectly aware of what's available and should be able to self direct her play/craft activities.

[VeggieSausage]

she is obsessed with moshi monsters so my plan is to subscribe to the moshi monster mag to keep at my house she can then take photo copys of the activities and them - also gonna buy some moshi monster trump cards and figures all to keep at my house and she can ocupy her self with them

What do you think ?

I wouldn't but say to parents that she can bring her stuff if she likes ......at 9 I think girls probably think they are getting too old for childcare and want to be at home doing what they want.......what about letting her do baking, cooking, help with little ones, crafts, tv, play outside, beads/jewellery making, tshirt painting etc.....homework and reading?

[mushpea]

In the past I have been out and bought stuff just to please the older ones but then they either grow out of it or move on or whatever and I have wasted my money so wont do it anymore.
I have a 5yrold on her own 2 nights a week and have just decided to make her a craft box, things like glitter pens, tissue paper, pompoms, sequenes etc so she can make her own crafts, she has acces to pencils and siccors and card anyway so hoping this will please,, she is a queit child who seems queit happy playing but I do feel sorry for her cause shes on her own.

[blue bear]

9 year old mindee boy will play briefly with little ones, he likes top gear, computer, crafts and digging huge holes in my garden.