Finding a Rhythm for After-School Revision | A Glimpse Into Our After-School Routine

Hi Radiants, 

I believe that paying attention to children's education is one of the important responsibilities we have as parents. And when I talk about education, I don't mean only what happens in the classroom. I also mean what happens at home, the conversations we have with our children, the things we teach them about everyday life, and the little things we help them understand as they grow.

Of course, the school has its role to play. The teachers teach, the children learn, and there is a program to follow. But I also believe that we, as parents, have a role to play in helping our children understand what they learn, encouraging them to express themselves, and paying attention to the things they may not necessarily learn in school.

For me, this is one of the reasons I wanted us to start revising from the beginning of the school year. I wanted to be more involved in what the children were learning and to have time to go over their lessons with them. I'm more intentional about this now, and I'm happy about that. In the past years, I operated in survival mode. I'm glad I'm out of it, and I have more motivation to invest differently in my kids' education. It gets better from here. I also wanted to find ways to help them understand what they were learning, rather than simply memorising things.

But as much as I wanted us to do this, I also had to figure out how to make it work in our everyday life.

When school resumed, I didn't have the after-school routine we have now. I was trying things, adjusting, learning from my mistakes, and discovering what worked for us and what didn't. I had to consider the children's needs, my own energy, the work I had to do, and all the other little responsibilities that come with running a home.

So, with time, we gradually settled into something that works for us. It may still change as the children grow and our needs change, but for now, this is what our afternoons generally look like on school days.

First things first: bath, food, and a little rest.

When the children come back from school, the first thing they do is take a bath or have a shower. After that, they eat.

While they are bathing, I also use the time to do a few things around the house, especially things that will make the next day easier. I wash their lunchboxes, bottles, and any cutlery they brought back from school. I refill their bottles when necessary and get everything clean and ready for the next day.

Depending on what they will be taking to school the following day, I may also prepare a few things in advance.

For example, if they are going to have plantain or potatoes, I might peel and slice them and keep them in the fridge so that the next morning I only have to fry them. If they are having egg toast, I might beat the eggs, slice the bread and put everything away ready for the morning. It depends on what we are having that week and what can reasonably be prepared ahead of time.

I used to leave some of these things until later in the evening, but I realised that it wasn't always the best idea. Sometimes I would forget, and other times I would remember when I was already tired. And honestly, when you're tired at the end of the day, even a small task can feel like a lot.

So I started doing what I could earlier in the afternoon. That way, when evening comes, I have fewer things to worry about. I can concentrate on revision with the children without constantly thinking about what still needs to be done for the next day.

After bathing and eating, the children get some time to rest.

Now, this is one part of our routine that took some time to establish.

When school first resumed, I thought that after the children came home, ate and allowed their food to digest a little, we could simply move on to revision. I wanted us to start from the first day and get into the habit of revising regularly.

But I realised that I hadn't really considered how tired all of us could be by that time of the day.

While the children are at school, I'm also going about my day. I have my work to do, meals to prepare, and other things to take care of. Then I go to get them from school, come back home, serve them food, and sort out the things that need to be done. By the time all of that is over, I also need a little time to breathe.

And if I need that time, the children probably need it too.

I didn't want them to come straight from school and immediately feel that they had another set of lessons waiting for them. They spend much of their day in school, following instructions and learning, so I felt they needed a chance to slow down before we started again at home.

I also wanted them to get used to having quiet moments. My children don't always find it easy to settle down, and I think it is good for them to learn that they can sometimes simply be still, rest and have a little time to themselves.

So I introduced a rest period in the afternoon.

When I say rest, I don't necessarily mean sleep. Sometimes my son falls asleep, but my daughter generally doesn't sleep during the day. Recently, though, she has started getting more comfortable with the idea of simply lying down and resting. There was even a time she fell asleep, which made me happy because I could see that she was gradually getting used to it.

I usually dim the room by pulling the blind and making the atmosphere a little calmer. They lie down on their beds and have some quiet time. They don't have to force themselves to sleep. If they can simply lie down quietly and rest, that is fine with me.

At first, I used to insist that they sleep, but I eventually realised that it didn't have to be about sleeping. What mattered was that they had a chance to rest.

Of course, getting them used to this wasn't easy. There were times when I would tell them to rest and then find them playing instead. I had to go back several times to remind them to calm down and lie down. Sometimes they would come out complaining that they couldn't sleep or that they weren't tired.

You know how children can be when they don't particularly want to do something!

But with time, things have improved. They are becoming more comfortable with that period of rest, and I no longer have to keep going back to remind them as often as I used to. Sometimes, after resting for a while, they even come to ask if it is time for revision.

And that is progress to me.

What about homework?

There is one little exception to our routine.

On days when the children have homework, I usually get them to do it after they have eaten, before their rest time. Once they finish their homework, they can go and rest.

But on days when there is no homework, they simply eat, allow their food to settle a little, and then go and rest.

This is one of the things I've had to figure out along the way. I wanted us to revise regularly, but I also needed to find a way to organise the afternoon without making everything feel rushed or exhausting.

Having that rest period has helped us create a little breathing space between school and revision at home.

Then comes revision time

After some time, when it is time for us to get back to work, we come out and start revising.

Most of the time, I go over what the children learned that day. Sometimes we also revise things they covered earlier in the week, and I try to go back to previous lessons where necessary.

I'm still learning what works best for each child and how to approach different subjects, so I won't go into too much detail about the actual revision process here. I think that deserves a post of its own, especially because there are things I've been learning about helping children understand their lessons, remember what they've learnt and express what they know.

But one thing I can say is that our revision time is not always just a matter of opening a book and asking the children to recite what is written there.

I try to make it interactive. I explain things, write down important points on the blackboard, ask questions and get them to tell me what they understand. Sometimes I ask them to explain something in their own words so I can see whether they have really understood it.

And, of course, there are moments when they get tired or when a lesson takes longer than expected. When I notice that they are struggling to concentrate, I sometimes try to refresh them a little. It could be a fruit, a snack or even a little candy. Sometimes we just need a small break before continuing.

I don't want to make revision feel like something we must rush through at all costs. At the same time, I want us to make good use of the time we have, so I'm still finding that balance.

One thing I particularly like about this time is that it also gives us a chance to talk about school.

Sometimes, while we are revising, the children remember something that happened during the day and start telling me about it. I listen. I don't want them to feel that once we start revising, there is no room for anything else.

Of course, there are moments when I need to finish explaining something first. In that case, I might tell them to wait a little, and then I listen to what they want to share.

I also ask them about their day when they first come home. I want to know how school went, what happened, whether there is anything they want to tell me, and whether there is anything I need to know.

But sometimes, the stories come out naturally during revision, and I like that too. It becomes more than just a time to go over their lessons. It is also a time when we talk, share and learn a little more about what is happening in their lives.

After revision, we wind down.

Once we finish revising, the rest of the evening depends on how the day has gone.

Sometimes revision takes longer than expected. Other times, we finish earlier. It also depends on whether the children are hungry again.

If they want to eat, they have dinner. If they aren't hungry yet, we don't necessarily force it immediately. We try to get through the rest of the evening and go to bed as early as possible.

I'm particularly mindful of their bedtime when they have a test or an evaluation coming up. I want them to get enough sleep and feel well rested, rather than stay up late because we are trying to fit in too much.

After eating, they brush their teeth and get ready for bed.

That is generally how our evenings go. Nothing particularly extraordinary, just the everyday things we do to get through school days while making time for learning, rest and everything else that needs our attention.

We didn't get here in a day

Looking back, I think the most important thing about our routine is that it wasn't something I planned perfectly from the beginning.

When I first decided that we would start revising from the first day of school, my main concern was finding time to do it. I wanted to make sure that we could go over their lessons regularly and that revision would become part of our everyday life.

But as we started, I realised that I also needed to think about when we would revise, how tired the children might be, how much energy I would have left, and how to organise the other things I needed to do.

That is how the routine gradually developed.

I realised that the children needed rest before revision. I realised that doing a few things for the next day in the afternoon could make my evenings easier. I also learnt that introducing a new habit takes time. Just because I understood why I wanted us to do something didn't mean the children would immediately understand it or get used to it.

We had to adjust, and I had to adjust too.

Now, when the children come home from school, I generally have an idea of what needs to happen next. I know that while they are bathing, I can wash their lunchboxes and prepare a few things for the following day. I know that after eating, there will be time to rest before revision. And when we finish revising, we can focus on winding down for the night.

It makes the day feel a little more manageable, especially because I am also working and trying to take care of my other responsibilities.

Of course, I don't know how this routine will change as the weeks go by. The children will grow, their schoolwork will change, and we may need to adjust some things along the way. But for now, this is what works for us, and I'm happy that we are gradually settling into it.

I think that is something I'm learning about routines in general: sometimes you don't sit down one day and create the perfect routine. Sometimes you start with an intention, try a few things, realise what isn't working, make adjustments and eventually find something that fits your life a little better.

And that is where we are right now.

This is a little glimpse into our after-school life. There is still a lot I'm learning about helping the children with their schoolwork, and there are also other things I want to teach them beyond what they learn in the classroom. I'll share more about those experiences as we go along.

For now, this is how we roll on most school days, and I think it works for us.