how do your kids unwind?

Now that our two oldest kids are both in school for six hours a day, it's becoming so important for them to have time to really unwind and just be. Especially Lily, who has homework each evening, it's a tricky thing to make time for.

 

After I pick up Oli I have 40 minutes until it's time to get Lily, and his school is only about 15 minutes away, so we always stop at Parc Villeneuve for 20 minutes or so to climb, run, and swing.

Since Lily's school is closer to our home, she comes home for lunch at least twice a week and gets some chill time with me and Chloe. Being away from school for those 90 minutes really relaxes her, especially as even social situations outside the class room can be stressful for her, since she's in her second language. For now, we've started doing her homework on the back porch before we even go inside, after school. The change of scene seems to help her relax, even though she's still doing school work. And we make sure that Friday after school she never does homework! Saturday afternoon we'll find some time, but Friday after school is meant for ushering in the weekend with extra cookies and a trip to the park or an extra round of UNO :) 

I shared this picture of her on Instagram the other day and mentioned that she's learning to read and write in her second language and learning cursive writing and she's only in grade 1. I'm glad I'm not alone in thinking that's a LOT! I didn't learn cursive writing until grade 3, and a lot of provinces/states no longer even teach it. I know it's only going to get harder to help kids have a healthy balance between rest and work, so I really want to set the foundation now. How do you help your kids rest but still encourage them in school?