19/04/2026
A great article shared by Maggie Dent 🌻
📣 If you collect a child from daycare, preschool or OOSH at the end of the day, this may sound familiar.
Many children arrive at care around 7.30 or 8.00 in the morning and are not getting home until after 6.00 pm. By the time pickup arrives, they may have spent ten hours:
• listening carefully
• concentrating on learning
• navigating friendships
• following instructions
• coping with busy rooms and playgrounds
That is a very long day for a young nervous system.
Teachers and early educators often see how hard children are working all day. Many are doing an enormous amount of emotional and social self-management.
So, when a child bursts into tears in the carpark, refuses to walk to the car, or melts down the moment they see their parent, it can feel stressful - and sometimes a little embarrassing.
But very often, that moment is simply when the “trying hard” tank is empty.
They have held it together all day.
When they finally see the person they feel safest with, the effort releases.
It doesn’t usually mean they had a bad day.
It usually means they feel safe enough with you to let their guard down.
A few small things can help make pickup time easier.
🧸 Start with connection
Before heading straight to the car, take a moment for a cuddle, a calm hello or sitting together for a minute. That brief pause can help a tired child settle after a very long day.
🥚 Have a small snack ready
Even if dinner isn’t far away, many children benefit from something small straight away. Think of it as the 'starter', not spoiling dinner. Cheese, yoghurt, a boiled egg, a small sandwich or chicken strip can take the edge off hunger and help avoid the classic 6 pm crash.
🚶 Slow the transition to the car
Busy carparks, noise and lots of instructions can overwhelm tired children. Walking slowly and keeping things simple often helps their nervous system regulate.
🍽 Be flexible about the family meal
Of course, it’s wonderful when families can sit down together for dinner every night. But many working families don’t live in that ideal world - and that’s okay.
If weeknight dinners often end in tears and raised voices because everyone is exhausted, it may help to think differently about when your family connects around food.
Some families find that weekend dinners, Sunday lunches or even breakfast together are calmer and more enjoyable times to connect.
Children rarely remember what was on the plate.
They remember how it felt to be together.
📋 Use a simple evening routine your child can see
Late afternoons can become harder when children hear lots of instructions: take your shoes off, wash your hands, sit down, eat dinner, get ready for bath…
For many young children, a visual schedule can help enormously.
Pictures showing the “when we get home” routine - snack, play, dinner, bath, story, bed - give children something they can see and follow.
Children of this age learn best from what they can see, not from repeated verbal instructions.
A visual routine quietly shows them what comes next, which often lowers the stress level in the household after a busy day.
🌙 Lower expectations for the evening
After a ten-hour day, some evenings are simply about getting through dinner, bath and bedtime. That’s okay. The goal is not the perfect family evening. The goal is helping everyone land safely at the end of a big day.
🌆 If the late afternoon feels tricky at your place, hang in there.
Many children are simply running on empty by that point in the day.
And if you’ve just finished a long workday yourself, you might be too.
💛 Giving your child - and yourself - a little grace and space can make a real difference.
If you know a parent, teacher or educator who might find this helpful, feel free to share it with them.
