To those with grade school kids, what time do you serve dinner?

I'm trying to come up with the best time to serve my kids dinner every evening while trying to make sure that my wife is home from work in time to join us. However, as those with small children can attest to, feeding time at home is much like feeding time at the zoo - THESE ANIMALS GET CRAZY IF THEY DON'T EAT!

So, what time do you feed your grade school kids?

I try to make sure we have dinner every night around 6:00. For the kids, it's usually a little bit before that because they start to get really wound up when they get hungry.

Originally Posted by Gorilla Dad I'm trying to come up with the best time to serve my kids dinner every evening while trying to make sure that my wife is home from work in time to join us. However, as those with small children can attest to, feeding time at home is much like feeding time at the zoo - THESE ANIMALS GET CRAZY IF THEY DON'T EAT! So, what time do you feed your grade school kids?

LOL! You are not kidding! Kids are HUN-GRY after school! Mine get a snack( like an apple or Go-gurt) right after school and then around 4:30 they start asking about dinner! I try to get it on the table no later than 5:30.

My kids don't get home from school until nearly 4:00. They have a snack right away if they are hungry. Then it's homework time. After homework, I quick finish dinner. We usually eat between 5:30 and 6:00, usually closer to 6. DH is often not home from work until then, and I like us to eat as a family. However, if DH runs later than 6, we don't wait because the kids get too hungry.

Between 5:30 & 6:00 here. Then, if it's nice outside and the kids didn't take tons of time eating dinner, we play outside or go for a walk for a bit. Then baths, a bit of tv, stories and bed.

My kids get out of school at 2:30 so I try to have them sitting down to eat between 5:00 and 6:00pm so that they can go to bed at 7:30pm. That way dh and I can enjoy some quiet adult time and relax.

My kids have lunch between 10:30-11am - by the time they come home at 2:30 I must feed them a snack!

Popcorn, fruit or graham crackers fill the void before dinner and gives them enough focus to do their homework before dinner is on the table.

My grandson arrives home from school around 3:30. He has a very light snack while he does his homework.

I have dinner ready between 5:30-6:00 pm.

On the weekends, it can be earlier or later. Just depends on what we have going on.

That depends. I get out of work @ 5 & some days we have Football practice, other days we have soccer practice & in the summer we have baseball & soccer.

Three kids in sports makes dinner time flexable

We are fortunate that neither one of us works that far from home. DH has an early schedule so he is usually home by 4 - 4:30. I work 10 mins away. We always sit down at the table beteen 5:45 and 6:30. Usually right at 6.

The school feeds them a snack around 3:30 or 4. Three nights a week they do taekwondo until 5:30 and they are usually hungrier on those nights.

I would say try to feed the kids before 6:30. If you eat with them, it is still a family dinner.

I try to serve at least by 5:30. I let them "snack" on baby carrots and cucumbers.

My kids get a snack when they get home & we try to eat between 5 & 5:30.

We usually get home around 5:15, so I start dinner as soon as we get home. Now, that school is in session, I try to use the crockpot as much as possible. And DS is getting to the point that he can start dinner, since he is now coming home after school. Right, now he has football practice on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so he eats something as soon as he gets home from school at 3:30.

Mine are in 6th and 5th grade. They get home around 3:40 and they play till like 6:30, get a shower and then after that, their meds and dinner. That would be after 7 PM. I do that because if I don't I have kids who like an hour and a half later are saying they are still hungry when I tell them it is time to go bed.

4:30 or earlier if it looks like they will stuff themselves with something else. I always offer a snack because they are hungry. One eats at 11:30 and the other at 1:00 so they are off schedule.