ASK A TEACHER
Setting Up An After-School Routine

with Nancy Downing

Q. Do you have any ideas about setting up after-school routines?

A. School is starting and this is the perfect time to set up a routine for
homework and independent reading.

Observe each of your children.  Some children need to come home and relax or
do some physical activity, while others must start right in on homework
assignments.  All of your children may fall into the same category, while some
of you may have those that fall into both.  If you have children that fall into both,
explain to them that everyone’s bodies are different and you are respecting their
needs.  It may take a few weeks to settle into the after school routine.  Once it
is in place, life will run a lot smoother in your household.  

Independent reading is reading that is done by your child with very little
assistance.  Your child should read independently for around 20 minutes each
day.  If this causes battles at home, try this.  Tell your child that if s/he reads
daily, s/he will receive a reward at the end of the week.  You decide on the
rewards ahead of time.  Adjust rewards according to the age of each child.

Ideas:

  • Stay up/out on Friday or Saturday evening 15-30 extra minutes.
  • Pick out a special item to go into the lunch pail.
  • Go get a coke or ice cream with you.
  • Receive points that can be saved and redeemed for a larger prize.
  • One or both parents have 15-20 minutes of one-on-one time with the child.
  • Go to school and eat with your child.
  • If your child’s weekly family responsibility is to do the dishes, let your child
    have one free evening.

The ideas here are endless.  Your child can help you make the list.  The goal
here is to set up a routine that is workable for your family.

Copyright © by Nancy Downing.  All rights reserved.
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Nancy has been an educator for 30 years and is currently a special education teacher.  
She is the former Center Director of LearningRx in Little Rock, Arkansas. She has
received local, state, and national recognition for her development of Downfeld
Phonics, a multi-sensory reading program.  Nancy also wrote curriculum for an
educational technology company.   

Nancy is a single mother of three children:  one with learning differences, one gifted,
and one who has to work for his grades.  Not only does she know what it is like to teach
all these different learning styles at school, but she has the experience of dealing with
all aspects of each twenty-four seven.  
Train a child in the way he should go,  
and when he is old he will not turn from it.
(Proverbs 22:6)