According to a study done in 2000 at the University of Michigan, kids are making the most out of that time alone after school. Their study found that the most popular activity is eating – 27% of kids home alone engage in the famous “after school snack” time. The next most popular activity was personal care (stuff like taking a shower or changing clothes) and “none of your business,” coming in at 19% of kids and teens. Surprisingly, only 15% watch television. Not so surprisingly, only 13% get some studying time in. Coming in at the bottom of the list is play time – only 9%!!

Have you ever heard the term “latchkey kid”? What about “self-care”? We’ve got some words that you should know!

• Latch-key: People don’t use this word very often these days. If you look it up in the dictionary, you’ll find that a latch-key is a type of key that lifts or throws back a door’s latch, or any key that opens a latch or lock. More specifically, it’s usually a key that opens an outside door.
  
• Latchkey Kid: This is a pretty old term– according to Kidshealth.com it dates back to World War II, when many of the nation’s men were working in the war effort. That meant that women were taking over the jobs that men had left. Since many of these women were mothers, kids didn’t have anyone to come home to after school. They had their own set of house keys (or “latch-keys”) so that they could let themselves in after school!!
  
• Working Parent: If one or more of your parents works part-time or full-time, they are considered “working parents.” That basically means that your parents have responsibilities to both their family and their work.
  
• Self-care: This is a term that you might run into that means just what it sounds like: taking care of yourself! If your parents trust you to stay home alone after school, you’re practicing “self-care.”
  
• After-school Programs: These are activities that keep kids busy and supervised after school. You might see after-school programs at places like your school, the local YMCA or YWCA, the library, the community center, or at a place of worship.