After school checklist for ages 5 to 8
After school checklist
Name
Week of
| Step | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coming home | |||||
| Shoes on the mat | |||||
| Backpack on its hook | |||||
| Lunch box emptied onto the counter | |||||
| Wash hands | |||||
| Have a snack | |||||
| School work | |||||
| Give a grown-up any notes from school | |||||
| Homework, or 15 minutes of reading | |||||
| Helping at home | |||||
| Do my daily chore | |||||
| Free time | |||||
| Play outside or play with toys | |||||
| Ready for tomorrow | |||||
| Pack my backpack and put it by the door | |||||
| Lay out tomorrow's clothes | |||||
Free chore charts by age at familypointstracker.com/chores
After school checklist for ages 9 to 12
After school checklist
Name
Week of
| Step | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coming home | |||||
| Shoes, coat and backpack put away | |||||
| Lunch containers rinsed and by the sink | |||||
| Snack | |||||
| School work | |||||
| Check the planner or school app for what is due | |||||
| Homework done before screens | |||||
| Forms and notes to a parent | |||||
| Helping at home | |||||
| My daily chores | |||||
| Practice: instrument, sport or reading | |||||
| Free time | |||||
| Screens or free time, once the above is done | |||||
| Ready for tomorrow | |||||
| Backpack packed, with signed forms inside | |||||
| Clothes and sports gear laid out | |||||
| Devices charging outside the bedroom | |||||
Free chore charts by age at familypointstracker.com/chores
Why a written after school routine helps
Children do better when the day has a predictable shape. Routines let them know what comes next without being told, which is why the CDC's parenting guidance puts them near the top of its list.
A checklist also moves the reminding off you. Instead of "did you do your homework?" the question becomes "what does your list say?", which is a much shorter argument.
Put the less liked jobs before the liked ones. Homework and chores before screens is the oldest trick in behavior research: a task gets done when something the child wants comes right after it.
Chores to put on the list
Not sure what "my daily chore" should be? Our chores by age chart has a realistic list for every age from 3 to 17, and there is a printable weekly chore chart for each age band.
Sources
Where this page makes a claim about safety or research, it comes from:
- Tips for Relying on Routines and Rules. CDC, Essentials for Parenting Toddlers and Preschoolers.
- Parent management training (research chapter). Alan E. Kazdin, Yale University.
