What do your older ES boys do after school?

[Anonymous]

Soccer club after school 1x/week
chess club after school 1x/week

Basketball season starts soon, 1 weeknight practice
Baseball season in spring and fall, 1 weeknight practice, 1 weeknight game

Play with neighbors, homework, play on iPad, watch TV, torment younger brother

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sports! Because that’s what boys are supposed to do.

Unless you have a boy that doesn’t want to play/isn’t good at sports. Should we let him suffer in solitude or maybe help him develop other interests?

[Anonymous]

My 5th grader's friends either do sports multiple times a week or take enrichment classes like RSM which is also 2x a week. They hang out at a house once every 2 weeks. There are a few kids who just go home and play games online until the parents get home.

[Anonymous]

5th grade DS typical schedule:
3-4 hangs out with friends
4-5 snack/homework
5:30-7 varies—sport, music lesson, tutoring
We live in a very walkable/bike friendly neighborhood, and stopped having a sitter by 4th grade.

[Anonymous]

Mine is home alone now in 5th grade. He does his chores and homework and then plays Legos or builds obstacle courses for the dog.

[Anonymous]

I think a lot of people’s work schedules are more flexible than you might think, especially if they are able to lightly work from home while an older child mostly takes care of themselves. In terms of age I think it gets tough when kids start getting substantial homework, that they may or may not get done in aftercare, and that parents now need to juggle after everyone has had a long day.

[Anonymous]

My 5th grader isn't into sports. Just one after school activity a week but needs a parent to take him at 4 PM, so DH ends work early that day. Other days he hangs out on the playground or asks to have friends over or go to someone's house.

Your underlying question is "how do you do it without after-school care?" And the answer is a lot of kids these days have watches or phones and go home alone for a bit, OR they have a SAHM or parents with very flexible schedules who can pick them up. Gone are the days of after-school activities actually happening AT the school, at least if you have boys. (Girl Scouts and Girls on the Run both meet there.)

[Anonymous]

Many are home on screens and it’s unrealistic to think otherwise. I’m not saying it has to be this way, but this is why there are fewer kids at aftercare or outside playing. Parents can save the money and let YouTube babysit.

[Anonymous]

We lucked out--we are in one of the latest start schools in FCPS so our bus drop off isn't until 4:30 and we are close enough to the bus that it's very safe for him to walk from the bus stop to the house.