Managing after school activities

In the annual survey, many readers asked me questions about how to manage after school activities with a number of kids. I have written about it before on the blog in detail in these two posts:

It can take some time and active organisation to find a way to manage after school activities that is right for your family. I have put together a short video, in which I share my 5 top tips for managing after school activities.  If you cannot see the video below, please click here to view it.


In the video I cover the following tips:

  1. Limit the activities per child – think about what is realistic for your family in total and for each individual child.
  2. Share the driving – most parents will be more than happy to share the driving around, you just need to put yourself out there and ask.
  3. Get creative with the time between activities – consider whether rushing to and from activities is necessary. It might be better to stay and let the younger kids play in the park or if it is cold, sit in the car and listen to the younger kids reading for example.
  4. Plan your evening meals – factor the after school activities into you meal plans. Some nights it maybe preferable to cook dinner in the morning to take the pressure off the evening. You can read more about meal planning here – how to menu plan for a month in under 35 minutes.
  5. Try for at least one day a week with no activities – it might be better for younger kids if they have one or two busier nights, but then have days after school where they don’t have to go anywhere.

What tips would you add for managing after school activities?