Schedule for a School Going Kindergartener

When my son was in Kindergarten we told him he could just do one activity. He would pick one thing for the fall and something different for the spring. This way he was not over scheduled. He is a kid who really likes/needs downtime at home though. He is in 3rd grade now and is doing 2 activities at a time. Both meet just once a week. I don't know how parents do it who have 3 practices and a game for their children's sport and then they are also in piano and scouts, etc. It sounds like some families are scrambling every evening....and it sounds too hectic for me!

One after school activity. Phase one out. You know you need more at home time with him. You are feeling the disconnect. He has fun but you are not having fun. If you don't put a value on home time then he won't either. Start being reasonable now, so you don't get caught up in the "can't ever eat dinner at home" crazies.

Sounds like a normal kid to me with a normal amount of activity and a good routine. I wouldn't change a thing.

What is it that you want to do with him that you don't get to do anymore? Is it that you have too much time on your hands now? If you don't have other children at home (I'm guessing he's an only given that this is your first time through this and you refer to him as your baby) perhaps this is a chance for you to be able to add some activities into your own life that you haven't been able to do while being a mom?

Also keep in mind that over vacations and summer, you'll still need to keep him occupied and can use those times to reconnect and do unstructured things.

Sounds like he's a normal, healthy child!
He doesn't sound stressed at all.
Time for YOU to find something to do to fill your extra time now. He will continue to grow up and pursue his own interests, so it's important for you to do the same. Maybe get a part time job, or take on some household projects or hobbies. Volunteering at school is enjoyable and a great way to connect with other moms. Have some fun!

I think one activity is enough for a full day Kindergartener. He needs down time and time with his family and just time to be a regular kid and do nothing. Sounds like there's too much going on, honestly.

Do one activity in spring, one in fall. That way he still gets to enjoy both, but at separate times a year.

Our routine is school from 7:30-2:30, home by 3pm. My son only has a reading log to do for homework that takes maybe 10 minutes. Then he has free time to play or go to an activity such as soccer or karate on the designated day(s). Dinner between 6-6:30, bath by 7pm, bed at 7:30.

This is what works for us, and I don't feel cheated with my time with him. Too many activities would interfere with the family time.

Good luck, and he will be a tired fellow for the first month of going all day. :)

When the boys were that age they did weekly swim lessons all year, and twice a week soccer for 6 weeks in the spring. Other than that they just went to drop in classes at the Y if and when we felt like going. It is important to reserve time for free play out doors.

If he's really happy, why borrow trouble? Save the option of cutting down for when and if he seems stressed and overwhelmed.

My daughter is currently in Kindergarten. School hours are 7:50am - 2:50pm. I drop her off at 7:30am and pick her up from after-school care around 4:30pm. We eat dinner between 5:15-5:30pm. She doesn't get homework during the week only on Fridays. She takes Dance class on Monday night. That is at 5pm so I pick her up, get her dressed and we don't eat dinner until after 6pm on those nights. We usually spend time after dinner getting baths and reading and I let her play. She goes to bed around 8pm.

I think as long as your child is enjoying the lessons and he is not tired and cranky you should be fine. Take some time on weekend to do something he wants to do with you in order to spend more time with him.

My son chooses 1 thing at a time. If it's t-ball in the spring, then he has to pass on soccer. I think it's really important for kids to have unscheduled play time once they are in school. The rest of their day is so regimented.

If you can handle the driving around, great!
For half-day stuff we usually had preschool or kindergarten (half-day) in the morning, then an activity every single day of the week.
Now with full-time school, that changed. Mostly having to take the four tiny siblings around so the one child can do an activity got to be too tough, when I was pregnant for sure.
So I put my child in aftercare so he could stay and play until 5pm, and I don't drive to any activities during the week (we have 3 on Saturday and one Sunday, between the little ones).

Once there is no baby in the family, it'll be easier and I'll start doing more activities and driving.

my kinder sleeps frim 8 pm till abotu 730 am... school time is 9 -4.. so we have 1.5 hours in the morning.. we get home from school at 430.. then homework dinner bath.. bedtime..

right now they are doing gymnastics one evening a week.. and another sport class on saturday mornings.

no you cannont do all the fun classes once they are in school.. 1 evening a week and saturday morning is all we commit to.. also.. the class will end and we will have some down time.. with no classes going on..

My son, when he was in Kindergarten, it was full days everyday.
And he had homework, everyday. Too.
The only thing that he took, was an after school Lego class.
It was only 1 hour. Once a week. And then we went home. So it was not something that went into the evening time. It was right, after, school.
And thus, the timing of it, was good. He enjoyed that.
But I also have another child, my daughter, who I have to toggle her activity schedule too.
So therefore, I choose and manage their extra activities, per what *I* can manage, and have time for, and per my kids' school work.
I will not sacrifice, their time needed for homework. For activities. Homework is first. And, getting adequate sleep.

Now, my son is in 1st grade. He takes Tennis. But that is on the weekend and 1 time during the week in the evening. BUT, my Husband will take him to that lesson. AND therefore though, my son has to finish his homework... BEFORE he goes to tennis. He also takes Piano. But this is on the weekend. So it is manageable. For us, the parents.

As as child goes onto higher grades, the homework increases. Daily. So keep that in mind.
I always tell my kids that their homework comes first.
And our budget, per activities.
And, at my son's age, I will not have him stay up late to do homework, just because he had an activity/class. Homework comes first. If it is not completed, he does not go to his class.
But so my kids learn, about "time management."
But at no time, will "we" sacrifice our sanity... just to go driving around everywhere to go to lessons, after school.
We do what is manageable, and with family time or just down-time.... as a part of that.
Down-time... is also important for a child.
They need... to be able to just have down-time, and to play. Not everything being "structured." So that, their minds are free and they can think on their own in their own time.

And as a parent, we also have to limit, if we have to... what activities our kids are enrolled in. Realistically, I cannot just enroll my kids in EVERYTHING they are wanting to take. They know that. We talk about it. They are fine... with that.
We do what they are MOST... interested in, like, and have a proclivity for.
And which we can do, per our schedules too.

Personally, I think your schedule right now seems fine, but I guess it all depends on how your son is doing, and how you feel about it - if he seems overtired, overwhelmed, you feel rushed, etc. Some kids like lots of activities and things to do (like my daughter) and others are homebodies and need a lot more "downtime".

Right now my daughter is in K, and she is in school from 8 to 3. Dad works 5 days a week (Mon - Fri), I work 3 to 4 days a week (including 1 weekend day, usually). On the days we both work, she needs to go to after-school care and she has fun playing with her friends there. I have a pretty-much set schedule, so one day a week I have off I take her to gymnastics in the evening, and the other day I take her to dance. We don't have anything scheduled on the weekends. Dinner is between 6 and 7, and then bedtime is 8, although sometimes it ends up being closer to 9. She is usually up in the morning around 6:30 for school, so she's getting around 10 hours of sleep a night - she might sleep in a little more on the weekends but not much.

So in general, we are more busy during the week, and then the weekends is our "downtime" and that seems to work for us. DD would actually like to do more but I feel right now we have enough going on. Adding something would mean doing it on a weekend, which I am not opposed to, but it's just not that important right now. DD also enjoys pretty much everything, so my feeling is next year, when she is in 1st grade, she is going to have to start making some choices - i.e. we can do 2 activities, you pick which 2, but not 3. And as she gets older, other things become more possible, like league soccer and piano lessons, so again, something may have to be given up. Especially since some things will take more than 1 day a week to be a part of. And it depends on whether it is something they are signed up for the whole school year, or if it's just seasonal (like baseball) or just for 6 to 8 weeks (like swimming lessons).

If he's ok with the schedule as it is, then take that into consideration. If you think one thing needs to be dropped, then talk to him about it and try to find out which he would choose to give up. And decide how many "extras" you are willing to allow before signing him up for them.

He's not your playmate. He's a growing boy that needs to develop a peer group of friends. I suggest making some special time plans on the weekends every now and then.

I would see how he does and then decide which is the least important and go from there. When a child starts a new activity (like school) by necessity sometimes old things need to go by the wayside or change. I can no longer do morning Meet Ups with my DD, but I do try to do dinner dates with friends and their children. IMO, one main activity per semester per kid is a good rule of thumb (worked well for us) and family time is more important. Make it a priority to have dinner together, always. As they grow, they spend less and less time with you, but things like dinner should always be something you can all count on.

My daughter leaves for school (Kindergarten) at 7am and returns at 330. Hubby is home with her Mon-Thurs (works weekends) and I'm usually home by 4-430. Between 330-the time I get home she usually has a snack, plays a game on the computer, watches a cartoon or just plays with her brother (inside or outside depending on the weather). When I get home I check her folder and see what she brought home and what homework she has. She now has a homework packet (7 activites) to complete over 1 week. I usually do not want her doing homework on the weekends so we aim to get it done during the week. That means 1-3 activies some nights and none on other nights. She enjoys this and will usually do 2 per night. She also started getting digraph homework sent home and has to practice those words every night in addition to being sent home a worksheet. And she has to read 3 books 2x a week. All in all, homework usually takes 1/2 hour. She plays/watches cartoons until dinner time which is usually between 5-530. Right after dinner hubby cleans up and she and I do homework. Then it's off to the bath (we wash hair every other night) and then depending on how close it is to 7pm, she may play a bit more. At 7pm, we brush teeth, read three books and then I put both of my kids to bed around 730. She has gymnastics one night a week but I feel this is enough for her at this time. I definitely feel like I don't get to play with her as much because of our schedule but I just try to make up for it on the weekends. Usually on Thursdays, we watch a cartoon together (1 hour long show) as a family. The other times she watches one it's with her brother or alone while Dad and I are making dinner, cleaning up, etc.

That is our schedule and works very well. If we get her to bed later (like on gymnastics nights) she's very tired the next morning. However, she doesn't want to go to bed earlier the next night!! I sometimes will put her (them) to bed at 7 instead of 730 on the weekends to 'catch' up on sleep!

My son is also in kinder, but only half day, so it's not quite the same experience. He is in school from 10:10 - 1:30. We usually relax and take our time getting ready in the mornings so it isn't hectic. Once a week he takes a swimming lesson before school.

We get home around 2:00. He eats lunch and does quiet time upstairs by himself while his sister naps. He can play, read, color or whatever he wants as long as he's quiet. That takes us till about 4:00.

After that, sometimes we will meet up at a park with friends or at someone's house. In the fall he plays soccer, so there is practice once a week. In the spring, he has baseball two afternoons a week.

His school doesn't give a lot of homework. We get an assignment on Tuesday that is due on Friday. The whole thing takes him about 30 minutes and he splits it up over the three days, so he's only really doing about 10 minutes a day. He is also supposed to read for 15 minutes every day. Twice a day (after school and before bed), I read him two books and he reads to me for 10 minutes.

He sleeps from about 8:30 - 7:00/7:30.