Easy, calm, after-school decompression activities to help your kids settle in.
My oldest started first grade recently, and one thing I’m paying much more attention to this year is what happens after school, more after-School decompression activities . And I’m not referring to homework or extracurricular activities; I’m talking about that first stretch of time when my children come home. I have always found the hours between kindergarten/school pickup and dinner rather interesting, because some days my children come home ready to play and other days they come home hungry, loud, and unusually sensitive, or apparently incapable of tolerating each other breathing in the other’s direction.
Also, because I’m very aware of how stressful school can be for kids, especially after spending the whole day sitting in uncomfortable chairs and listening to instructions, riding their bikes and scooters to the playground is one of the ways I help my kids decompress after school/kindergarten.
I also have to be realistic about our home. We live in an apartment in Germany with neighbours living below and above us, three children and the usual end-of-day things that still need doing. And because we’re raising our children away from our extended family, there isn’t a grandma or auntie around the corner who can take over when everybody has had enough. That’s why I like having a handful of very simple things my children can do when they come home tired.
So today, I am sharing some of my favourite after-school decompression activities that help my kids calm down after school and just be in the moment. Some of the links on this site are affiliate links, and I may earn a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!
Easy After-School Decompression Activities for Tired Kids
Here are the activities we love and do:
- Drawing With No Instructions: Paper and coloured pencils are probably the easiest place to start. I don’t usually give my children a drawing prompt after school unless they ask for one. I just put the materials somewhere accessible and let them decide what happens next. And what I like about drawing after school is that there is no sequence to follow and no finished result they are supposed to produce. Check out my other table-friendly activities that can also work as decompressing activities for kids.
- 2.Colouring books: Sometimes my kids love to just colour and do nothing else. So all I put on the table is a detailed colouring page and coloured pencils. For my older girl, I like pages with enough detail to keep her hands busy for a while without requiring her to invent anything from scratch. You can find plenty of free colouring pages online, but I particularly like this big book of animal colouring pages I keep in our afternoon basket. Apparently people really love it, it’s got really good reviews and it’s a bestseller on Amazon.
- Puzzles: I prefer familiar puzzles after school rather than something so difficult that I eventually become the person doing it. A puzzle for ages 5–7 that your child can mostly manage independently gives them something predictable to work on without needing lots of instructions from you.
- UNO count and dot: This is ridiculously easy, and one my kids can easily do without me. I draw a few circles of different sizes on paper; they pick an UNO card and then dot that many circles on the paper. You only need paper, dot markers or dot stickers, and a pack of UNO cards.
5. Coin scribble drawing: I really love this one because of how calming it is. It intentionally slows down movement and improves focus in kids. Just put a coin on a sheet of paper and push the coin around the page with a marker. The marker goes wherever the coin goes, so you end up with a really big scribble.
6. Water painting: A paintbrush, a small bowl of water and watercolour paper are enough for this one. My kids really love and enjoy painting, and it keeps them busy and quiet for a long time. Sometimes we do it at our dining table with an oilcloth underneath, or we take it to the balcony when the weather is good.
7. Card games: This works better for us when the kids want me to sit down with them rather than play independently, and I actually think that kind of connection can be part of decompressing too. Some of the games my kids love are Halli Galli, Pantomime für Kinder and UNO cards. I wouldn’t pull out a complicated new game after school; familiar games they already know are much easier.
8. Painting wooden blocks and figures: Sometimes I give the kids plain wooden blocks and little wooden figures and let them paint them however they want. A pack of unfinished wooden figures and blocks is useful to keep with the craft supplies because I can pull out just a few at a time rather than creating a huge painting project.
9. The big craft box: I bought my kids a 600-piece craft box, and this is exactly the sort of thing I like having available for afternoons when they want to make something, but I don’t want to plan the craft. They can choose pompoms, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, paper pieces or whatever catches their attention and decide what to do with it. A 600-piece kids’ craft box is not too overwhelming, and it gives them plenty of choice without me having to gather six different supplies from around the apartment.
A Very Simple After-School Reset
If you don’t remember any of these activities tomorrow, I want you to remember three things at least: food, breathing room, and then decide. This is what I’ve learned to do now. We get home and deal with the basics first, then I give my kids something to eat and resist the urge to immediately ask them ten questions about school/kindergarten.
For my family, I like to give my kids 15 minutes of rest before homework, and “rest” in this sense means lying in bed with all the windows shut and just relaxing – we can tackle homework and extracurricular activities later.
What helps your kids wind down after school?
I’d love to know what works in your house. Share it in the comments, because your go-to might be exactly what another tired mum needs to try today.
And if the long stretch between school pickup and dinner is where you usually run out of ideas, join my newsletter. I’ll send you simple, low-prep activities for calmer afternoons, especially for the days when the kids are tired and you are too.
