What Is Your Afterschool Routine

They get 15 minutes of down time and snack and then homework must be done.

If homework is done before their dad gets home - they can play outside or on the XBOX...

Homework is always first in our house. My son is in first grade and either my husband or I will sit with him and help him if needed. He gets to have his juice while he does his homework and a L. snack. Then after he finishes, then he can go play with his L. brother.

My son is supposed to have a snack, and can watch 1 tv show before/while starting homework. Playing outside or playing with friends is rarely in the routine. If it's an easy worksheet, he can be done in 5 minutes and go out to play. But most days, he complains for hours and takes several breaks because writing is difficult for him. Today, he's watching a show about how computer chips are made, while doing a noun worksheet very very slowly(2 hours to write 20 words) By the time he's finished and ready to go outside, it's time for dinner. After dinner is scout meetings, reading homework, and project time(such as legos, electronics, or woodworking)

With my son if he doesn't do his homework first, it won't get done. He does have a snack at his afterschool program, then when we get home he finishes any homework leftover then gets to do other things.

10-15 minutes to chill, snack then homework.
THEN fun (baseball, playing outside, Wii, etc.).

Right when they get home they have a snack while doing their homework. There are those that think they have been school all day and need a break - NOT! I have many friends that have this thought of mind and ALL of them have a hard time getting their kids to do their homework. Once they are out of school mode the kids are done and it ends up being a battle to get them to start their homework and many times they are still arguing about homework at bedtime. I never have that problem! My kids are done with homework in about an hour and have the rest of the day to do whatever. And no arguing or nagging - its great!

When I was a SAHM, it was always snack, homework, then play. However now that I'm working full-time I have less control! My oldest likes to have a snack and 'decompress' for a half hour or so before diving into homework (she's a HS freshman). My middle daughter, 7th grade, often doesn't even eat before she does her homework--she likes to get it overwith so she can chill stress-free. My youngest, 1st grade, just started having homework last week. She usually does part of it when she gets home (her sisters help her), and then we finish up after dinner. She watches TV or plays with a friend in between. Eventually we will have to establish stricter homework guidelines for her, but I know it will always be tough to enforce as long as I'm working full-time...one thing I have learned is that playing with friends before homework is, in general, a bad idea, because who wants to stop playing to do homework?

She does homework with a snack first,,,,,,IF her room is clean she gets to play.

Homework (while eating a snack) is always first in our house. I'm afraid it won't get done otherwise! When they're done they have until dinner to do as they please. A lot of times we hold off on the reading homework (20 minutes/day) until bedtime, since it seems sort of natural to get into pajamas, brush teeth and then get into bed and read. But today (and every Wednesday) I have them get it ALL done right away, even reading. We have very important television tonight - SURVIVOR!! They hit the hay right afterwards :)

I have found I have a hard time getting my son to do homework right after school. He's been working his brain all day in school. I wouldn't want to come home from working all day just to sit down right away and do more work.

My son gets out of school at 2:45 and we have agreed that he will sit down between 5:00 - 6:00 and get his homework done while I fix dinner. This has worked really well for us and he doesn't fight me on it at all this way.

What I did growing up, what I did when providing home childcare, and what I was doing with my son's preschool: they come home, have a 15 minute break where they can have snack and a drink, and talk about whatever is on their minds (anything from something neat they learned, a problem they don't understand, playground gossip, a situation that happened, what kind of birthday party he wants, etc). I think 15 minutes is enough time to decompress and have a L. break. Then homework time! I say better to knock it out quickly than have something looming over your head or the kids up too late instead of winding down peacefully before bed. Homework time: no TV or radio (that's what DVR is for, if he has a show he wants to watch). After homework is done, they can do whatever they want. Go play with neighbors and/or the dog, watch that show, play in his room, put on some music, whatever.

It depends on the child.
My older two had snacks, downtime, playtime, dinner and bath/shower, then NO electronics past seven, only homework/reading/projects/etc. Worked great.
Not my youngest! If she doesn't get her homework done right away it eventually becomes a battle, whether it's an hour after school or three hours. I don't know if it's her adhd or what but having a break after school actually seems to make it harder for her to focus later on.
Be open, experiment, and do what works best for YOUR kids, there's no one rule for everyone :)

After my daughter gets off the bus we do homework and talk about the day. Then we prepare for the next day (pick out clothes, fill water bottle, pick out the next day's snack), and then she gets to play. This is our routine every day, even Friday. It works well for us.

Homework first, then chores then play.