After-School Wind-Down
The tricky hour between the school gate and dinner.
Children who have coped all day at school or nursery very often fall apart the moment they see you. It is unfair, it is universal, and it is not a sign that anything is wrong.
What helps is boringly practical: food quickly, no questions for a while, something physical, and as few decisions as possible. Asking "how was your day" in the first ten minutes almost never works.
This page is about the shape of that hour. For specific things to do in it, see after school under Activities.
