7 Tried and True Solutions for the Witching Hour

It happens everyday. The kids come home from school in a whirlwind. They’re tired, they’re hungry, and you’re more stressed than ever!

Jamie Cook and Shannon Lyon share solutions for the daily witching hour.

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7 Solutions for the Daily Witching Hour

Michelle: Serve dinner right after school

Michelle says her kids walk in the door after school hangry. We can all sympathize with that! She says she feeds them dinner the second they come home. She prepares it while they are at school, so when they come home, it’s dinnertime, homework time, and then they head off to sports! She saves her husband a plate since he’s still at work, and then at night, they sit back down together and have another meal. Her husband eats dinner, the kids have a little snack, like cereal or something. The kids are so much more happy when they have good food in them!

Christina: Hands-on activities before dinner

Christina lays out paper across the kitchen table and gives the kids activities to do. They draw out little roads on the paper and then drive them around. She also gets out some Magformers, and the kids build with them and draw patterns with them. Sometimes, kids just need to keep their hands busy!

Kinzie: Get outside

Kinzie’s tip is to go outside. Even if it’s raining, the kids will still have fun! If you’re kids are fighting, or throwing a tantrum, getting some fresh air will usually calm them down.

Allie: Dinner and a bath

Allie says this hack came about by necessity. Her kids needed a bath, and they needed to eat dinner. So, she put the two together! She brings them their dinner in the tub, they eat, and then they’re all cleaned up!

Nicole: Audiobooks

Nicole says their favorite way to combat the witching hour is audiobooks. She gets books on CD from Amazon, they love Disney stories, and they are super affordable. She says her boys are totally engaged, and even her two-year-old, who can’t quite follow the prompts, loves them!

Shannon: Put your phone away

Shannon tries to keep her phone put away. When you’re distracted, it makes you more stressed. If you get a call or a text, you feel like you have to answer it. So Shannon tries to put it somewhere else, whether that’s in a drawer or upstairs. Somewhere where it’s not a distraction. Make sure the kids know you’re there and that you are present.

Jamie: Crossroad moments

Every day has those crossroad moments, the 5-10 minutes when your kids are leaving or when they are coming home. Jamie makes sure her phone is put away, so as soon as the kids walk through the door, she’s there. Asking, “how was your day,” or “how are you doing?” She says it sets the tone for the rest of the afternoon.