After School Time – Connection

We are winding down our second week of back to school around here, and so far, so good.  A lot of the systems I had prepared ahead of time are working like magic.  I am so happy, insert smile here.  My kids are doing such a great job of readjusting to their full-time student status.  I miss them for sure, but I really do love watching them blossom and grow.

One of the areas that I knew needed some more attention, was our re-connection time right after school.  Last year, we were in the habit of sitting down at the kitchen table, having an afternoon snack, and then my three kiddos would usually compete to tell me all about their days.  I tried my best to balance the conversation, but it was tough.  Frankly, it was a bit exhausting.

So, I started this school year with a new idea/plan of attack, insert smile again.  During our afternoon snack, right when they get home, I am having them each pick a number for who gets to go first to share about their day.  Then each kiddo takes their time to tell about their day (in five minutes or less).  I don’t set a timer, but I realized I needed to give a little guideline, we don’t need to hear about every.single.detail.of.every.single.class.  This not only gives me a one on one conversation, it is also helping my other two children practice their active listening skills, while they wait for their turn at the mic.

Then, as I shared on instagram, I found a cute die at a market this week.  It is a larger size and is worn, I just love it!  (It is in the photo above, in the picture it looks like a regular size, but it is actually about twice the size of a normal die, and has an antique look.)  So now, they roll the die to see who gets to go first.  The “Star Student” of the week gets to roll first.  If there happens to be a tie, we re-roll.  It makes for a fun way to teach fairness, taking turns, and ultimately I get to have a little one on one convo with each of my sillies.  I love hearing about the important details of their day and also getting to know them each a little bit more.

Just yesterday, I learned that…

 My oldest likes when someone is really direct and open with her, like her Drama Teacher was when she gave her feedback on her audition for the upcoming musical production.  #lovethat

And my middle shared with me that he just loves science.

*KISS – Carve out connection time with your kids after school, you can learn a lot in just five minutes!

How do you make connection time a priority with your sillies?
And…what have your kids taught you?