Activities before/after school

**crazyhazy** · 26-10-2010, 05:44 PM

I'm just wondering what everyone else does activity wise with their before and after school mindees. I have a 9y who comes at 7am everyday and after school mon-thur, then a 12y who comes after school wed-fri. The 12y old is pretty easy going and is quite happy playing with my own children and baby mindee the days she's here, in fact she's really helpful and I wish she came more often! But the 9y is the one I'm struggling with, in the morning she just tends to watch tv, which I'm fine with, usually my two are in bed still when she arrives and after tv, breakfast, getting ready etc it's time for school anyway. But after school she is constantly looking for me to provide activities and tbh I'm fast running out of ideas and she doesn't seem to provide any when I ask either! At the moment mon and tue she has after school clubs so doesn't come till 4.20pm and gets picked up at 5.30pmish, the other days she's here from 3.10pm. She also usually has homework which takes about 20mins or so but still wants amusing for every other minute she's here.

At the moment we do crafts once maybe twice a week, baking at least once, out to the park/walk if it's dry (not often now), I'm finding it hard though cos even if say we bake a cake, we'll put it in the oven and right away she'll be asking so what we doing now. How can I encourage her to amuse herself a little bit more? I already offer her books to read etc but she always declines.

**Happy Bunny** · 26-10-2010, 06:05 PM

My fall back plan is crosswords and wordsearches.
I also have a book that i have made up of things that older ones can make that doesn't require much help.
Try the library for ideas.
Failing that Hama beads, cheap jewellry making kits (pound shop)
I have bought quite a few things from pound shops, painting by numbers, pots to paint, friendship bracelets.
We had a hair dressing day once lol, which was fun, had a box full of slides, bands etc we all did each other hair, thankfully i didn't have to go out later.

**ChocolateChip** · 26-10-2010, 07:45 PM

How about teaching her to do something a bit more 'long term' like knitting or some easy sewing or embroidery with plastic needles or a bodkin, something she can take out and put away until the next time.
Or french knitting, or making pom poms to turn into animals, christmas decs, etc.
Scapbooking, making her own storybook or magazine, get her to write a list of features to go in it and make one or two each night.

**crazyhazy** · 26-10-2010, 07:46 PM

Thanks, some good ideas there, think I'll try and have a chat with her tmrw and find out if there's anything else she would like to do, like word searches etc and then I can pick up some things for her.

**crazyhazy** · 26-10-2010, 07:48 PM

Originally Posted by ChocolateChip

How about teaching her to do something a bit more 'long term' like knitting or some easy sewing or embroidery with plastic needles or a bodkin, something she can take out and put away until the next time.
Or french knitting, or making pom poms to turn into animals, christmas decs, etc.
Scapbooking, making her own storybook or magazine, get her to write a list of features to go in it and make one or two each night.

Think I replied just as you posted, thanks x Liking the embroidery idea, I remember doing that when I was a similar age and the scrap booking might go down well too.

**Saranotts** · 26-10-2010, 08:22 PM

The girls I mind, love doing finger knitting, hama beads or one of the Doodle books (they have a partial doodle or idea in and you have to complete it).

I have also bought them each a little christmas cross stitch from Hobby Craft (£1) to work on.

Sometimes though I think you have to tell them to find something themselves to do. The worst is when you give them an activity and they rush through it and then demand another one!!! aggghhhhh

Sara
xxx

**crazyhazy** · 26-10-2010, 08:49 PM

Originally Posted by Saranotts

The girls I mind, love doing finger knitting, hama beads or one of the Doodle books (they have a partial doodle or idea in and you have to complete it).

I have also bought them each a little christmas cross stitch from Hobby Craft (£1) to work on.

Sometimes though I think you have to tell them to find something themselves to do. The worst is when you give them an activity and they rush through it and then demand another one!!! aggghhhhh

Sara
xxx

That's exactly what she does, lol, drives me mad! Hadn't heard of doodle books but had a quick look on amazon and they look like a great idea for her too, thanks x

**Noomie** · 26-10-2010, 08:57 PM

I try and put the decisions back on my schoolies. Every Friday I ask them what they want to do the next week and things they'd like to eat. They know that they can choose from outside play, park, watching telly and chilling out, asking for an art or craft activity / idea, cooking, etc. Then I'm not stumped when it comes time as I have something prepared.

**crazyhazy** · 26-10-2010, 09:03 PM

Originally Posted by Noomie

I try and put the decisions back on my schoolies. Every Friday I ask them what they want to do the next week and things they'd like to eat. They know that they can choose from outside play, park, watching telly and chilling out, asking for an art or craft activity / idea, cooking, etc. Then I'm not stumped when it comes time as I have something prepared.

Thanks, that's a good idea aswell and means I can be a bit more prepared for the week ahead too.

**Noomie** · 26-10-2010, 09:13 PM

I can also talk to them about timing then too. Eg, they do after school club on Tues and I pick them up at 4.15. By the time we're home and settled it's 4.30 give or take and Dinner is served by 5. What do they expect to do in that half hour? If I'm putting dinner on, what can I do to help them with an activity. Also I get them to think about other mindees and their ages and what they would like to do / can do. They come up with really good solutions. And on Friday I just have them in the afternoons at the moment (and my daughter) and they know they have my attention for a longer time. They appreciate this and choose more complicated activities for then. Works well.

**The Juggler** · 27-10-2010, 07:53 AM

I agree, have a chat with her. Put out some drawing paper and pens, maybe a few jigsaw puzzles. That's enough for 0700 in the morning.

**Hebs** · 27-10-2010, 08:00 AM

i offer quiet activities before school (cos my own kids are still in bed), either chilling infront of the tv or drawing/colouring in.

after school we sometimes do crafts, have free play, go to the park if its nice, and older ones sometimes go on the wii as they need to be able to relax after a long day at school

**Andrea08** · 27-10-2010, 08:02 AM

I too have a mental block as to what my after school boys want to do esp now its so wet n my garden is a bog so no football or games..

one thing that ive noticed is a hit is monday pizza day, i get a cheep cheese pizza and lots of different toppings and they have a yummy snack and take some home too.

so thats 15mins out of 2.5 hrs x5 evenings
construction was a good one for a week now their bored

we dont have the same resources as some after school clubs

xx

**mama2three** · 27-10-2010, 10:15 AM

Originally Posted by crazyhazy

I'm just wondering what everyone else does activity wise with their before and after school mindees. I have a 9y who comes at 7am everyday and after school mon-thur, then a 12y who comes after school wed-fri. The 12y old is pretty easy going and is quite happy playing with my own children and baby mindee the days she's here, in fact she's really helpful and I wish she came more often! But the 9y is the one I'm struggling with, in the morning she just tends to watch tv, which I'm fine with, usually my two are in bed still when she arrives and after tv, breakfast, getting ready etc it's time for school anyway. But after school she is constantly looking for me to provide activities and tbh I'm fast running out of ideas and she doesn't seem to provide any when I ask either! At the moment mon and tue she has after school clubs so doesn't come till 4.20pm and gets picked up at 5.30pmish, the other days she's here from 3.10pm. She also usually has homework which takes about 20mins or so but still wants amusing for every other minute she's here.

At the moment we do crafts once maybe twice a week, baking at least once, out to the park/walk if it's dry (not often now), I'm finding it hard though cos even if say we bake a cake, we'll put it in the oven and right away she'll be asking so what we doing now. How can I encourage her to amuse herself a little bit more? I already offer her books to read etc but she always declines.

My answer would be washing up! Then setting the table for dinner.....

Once she has told you some of the things she does enjoy how about getting her to decorate a box and put her bits in there , wordsearches , embriodery , colours , whatever she comes up with..Then whenever she asks you just tell her to choose something from her box...

**Noomie** · 27-10-2010, 11:46 AM

Loving the box idea! May have to adopt that approach.

**mushpea** · 27-10-2010, 05:38 PM

I used to do activity after activity as i had a child like yours that wouldnt be happy with doing just one thing and would follow me round the house all night if i didnt do anything with her and it would really annoy me,,
now I have changed what i do,,, thursday night is cooking night the rest is amuse yourselfs night,,, if they ask to do a particular craft then i am happy to do it but other than that they have pens, paper, stencils, fuzzy felts ,peg boards and of course the usual toys they can access if they wish and I am happy for them to have glue and sissors but I stopped providing somthing to do every night as the more i did the more they wanted and the less they appriciated it!!
if mine said 'what are we doing now' after id just done an activity with them i would say,, im clearing up then having a cuppa an you can go and play!

**crazyhazy** · 27-10-2010, 06:49 PM

Thanks for all the replies, loving the box idea and will def do that!

Just to update we had a chat this morning and I was asking her to provide me a few ideas of what she'd like to do and she replied well it's all new to me, I said what being a 9y old? And she said no having a childminder who does stuff with me, my last one just used to put the tv on. So, it seems I maybe set standards a bit high by doing lots those first few weeks

But anyway I showed her the doodle books and we ordered one from amazon and a french knitting kit, then this afternoon I gave her the activity books I have and told her to choose something. She choose to do finger print painting then making them into faces/people etc, which kept her and the 12y amused all afternoon

**Noomie** · 27-10-2010, 07:20 PM

Good work!

You just have to put it back on them I think. Works well.

xx

**mushpea** · 27-10-2010, 07:38 PM

Like you I think i went over the top trying hard to amuse and please when all they really wanted was somthing to do then to play themselves or chill out which is what now happens after school

**Mouse** · 27-10-2010, 07:47 PM

My daughter is 9yrs old & can be just as demanding!

I often search the internet with her & find colouring sheets, crosswords, wordsearches, puzzles, colour, cut out & stick activities etc. I print of loads & put them in a folder for her. If she gets fed up with colouring, she can move onto a crossword etc.
On Monday we looked on the Crayola website & found loads of sheets for her. Has kept her quiet for days