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Let’s face it – working from home while your little kids demand round-the-clock attention from you is a challenging task!
Working from home can be stressful enough in itself but when you throw kids running around into the mix, the outcome can be a colossal chaotic mess.
Whether you are a parent who has just landed their first work from home dream job or you are just another victim of circumstances stuck at home due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, we understand just how difficult it can get!
Trying to juggle being a full-time parent and a full-time working professional when your temporary coworker is your little one who is currently in the midst of a temper tantrum can feel like a Herculean task to the best of us.
But let’s be honest, working from home as a parent most certainly has its fair share of pros as well.
Nothing beats the happiness of no longer having to wake up early in the morning with a toddler climbing up your face, getting dressed hastily while your child is bouncing around the house, and sprinting out the door in a jiffy!
In a way, working from home when you are a parent can feel really liberating to some because you are the master of your own schedule.
Yet, you may find yourself getting increasingly overwhelmed and frustrated with the pressure of balancing baby duties and being a working professional at the same time!
Social media can make working from home with your kids look like a piece of cake but do not let it fool you.
The great news for all you parents is, there are plenty of fun-filled activities that you and your tiny tots can indulge in that will keep them occupied and entertained for hours!
Before we get to the list of all the amazing activities that your kids are guaranteed to love while you work in peace, we would also like to list down a bunch of strategies and tips that will help you survive (and hopefully, really enjoy) working from home.
1) Set up an “office” for yourself and your child.
We get it, not everyone has a spare room in their house just waiting to be transformed into an office.
But a home office does not have to be a fancy room, molded to mimic your actual workplace.
We simply mean, create a dedicated space for yourself where you can be at your productive best.
This space could literally be a small desk in your kitchen, a tiny workstation in your bedroom or, a balcony where you can plop down a comfy chair and a table and get down to business!
Setting up a home office is the best solution to beat the laziness and productivity-slump that comes with working remotely for any professional. It is also the best thing you could do for yourself especially if you are someone with kids at home!
One pro-tip that we would like to give all our readers is to set up a similar “office” for your kids as well.
This kiddie office could just be a designated space in your house like your child’s bedroom, playroom, or you could just section off an area of your workspace if your kids are older and relatively quiet.
Doing this will reinforce some boundaries and make it easier to draw the line between work time and play time.
By setting up a designated workspace, you are teaching your kids that once you enter your office, it is time for action.
This will eventually teach them to keep distractions at a minimum while mommy and daddy are working.
2) Do Not Underestimate The Power Of Planning
When you are a working professional with kids, planning should be the most important part of your life.
While you may have been able to adhere to deadlines while working in an actual office setting where your co-workers are...well, actual adults, you have to come to terms with the fact that working remotely will require a lot more dedication on your part!
When you have little kids in the house, every morning comes with a new adventure.
This is why we insist on planning your day in a way where you have enough time to spend on your laptop and can easily schedule plenty of baby time too.
On days where you have a major deadline coming up, plan ahead and see if a relative or a friend would be willing to look after your child while you spend all day chugging coffee and furiously typing away.
On days where you do not have too much workload, you can schedule in plenty of playtime with your little one.
3) Schedule Technology Time
Technology can be your child’s best friend when you learn to feed them content that can be beneficial to their developing brain.
Today, kids have the world at their fingertips. As a parent, it is your job to ensure that they consume content that will help them learn and grow.
There are plenty of terrific interactive shows and lessons online for kids of all age groups. A lot of these are free of cost or require paying a small amount which, according to us, is a worthy investment to make.
Letting your kids spend some time consuming such highly beneficial content while you attend your virtual meeting can be a win-win situation for both parent and child!
If your child is at a very young age, it may also be useful to let them watch animated Disney movies with a message or some classic kids’ movies that can teach them valuable lessons.
Trust us, this tip is a total lifesaver when your manager is yelling at you over Skype!
4) Indulge In Some Fun Activities With Your Little One.
When you are working from home, it may be a fun idea for you to “assign” activities to your kids every morning.
Your kids are probably habituated to seeing you fill out your planner for the day with work-related to-do tasks. Making a kiddie to-do planner can be a fun way to chalk out the rest of the day for your little ones.
On some days, when you have a relatively lighter workload, we suggest you indulge in some of these activities with your kids too!
It can be a fun way for parents to de-stress and strengthen the bond with their kids while working from home.
Either way, these activities are guaranteed to keep your kids occupied for hours while you tackle your work, manager, and clients.
We know how difficult it can get for parents to take the time out to research and come up with creative activity ideas to keep kids entertained.
This is precisely why our team has carefully put together a list of simple yet exciting and unique activities for your little ones who are most certainly bubbling with energy.
These ideas will help keep their mind engaged, happy, and razor-sharp while you smash your work goals every single day!
1) Give Audiobooks A Shot
Parents across the globe unanimously agree that nothing gives them more joy than watching their little one thoroughly engrossed in a book!
The truth is, some kids find the process of reading a book from start to finish really rewarding while others may find the thought of picking up a book excruciatingly painful.
The good news is, audiobooks can be a great addition to your child’s daily routine regardless of whether they enjoy reading books or not.
Listening to audiobooks can prove highly beneficial for your child’s speech development as well.
If you want to keep your child further occupied, get them a hard copy of the audiobook that they are currently listening to and have them follow the words on the page in conjunction with the words being read out on the audiobook.
This will teach your kids how to read independently while simultaneously educating them on how words are pronounced which will help improve their reading fluency.
2) DIY Bookmarks
Making handmade bookmarks is a fun and inexpensive way to keep your children occupied. This is the least messy activity in the DIY world and can be enjoyed by kids of all age groups.
Allow your little ones to get creative with this one. They can choose to decorate the bookmark using watercolor, glitter, beads, or even pencil shaving flowers.
There are plenty of ways in which your kids can make these. Bookmarks can be made out of paper, cardboard, ribbons, or even ice cream sticks!
In fact, DIY bookmarks are a great way to encourage children to read. Introducing them to the magical world of books using this strategy can organically help them develop an interest in reading.
3) Kids Tie-Dye T-Shirts
This activity should definitely be on your work from home to-do list as this is a fun yet fascinating activity for your kids!
In fact, once your kids learn to make these on their own, it has the potential to keep them occupied for hours while giving you the uninterrupted time to work on your projects.
We highly recommend being around your kids initially just to avoid any accidents but with practice, your kids will get the hang of it fairly soon.
This is the ideal activity for children who are a little older and do not require constant supervision.
All you are going to need is your kid’s clothes, a Tie-Dye kit, rubber bands, gloves, and a plastic bag.
Simply instruct your kids to squirt the dye on the damp t-shirts and then wrap them tightly with the rubber bands, followed by placing them in a plastic bag.
Rinse well with cold water and your kid’s Tie-Dye T-Shirt is ready to use!
4) Quick-Fix Ice-Cream
This easy recipe is no less than a science project for your little wizards!
But be warned, once your kids learn about this technique, they are going to want to spend their entire day indulging in this highly fun dessert-making activity!
All they are going to need is milk, sugar, ice, vanilla extract, rock salt, Ziploc bags, and 15 minutes.
Instruct your child to throw in the milk, sugar, and vanilla extract into a Ziploc bag and seal it.
In another Ziploc bag which is a little larger than this one, mix the rock salt and ice.
Place the smaller bag into the larger one.
Your child may initially need some help with this step, make sure to be a part of this super-fun activity!
The next step is going to thoroughly entertain your child – get them to shake the bag with all their strength for at least 10 minutes.
Within just a few minutes, your little one will have some very delicious ice cream and you will have a very happy child!
5) Camp With Your Little One!
The biggest advantage when it comes to working from home is the flexibility you get to work from any corner of the house!
We implore you to make the best of it.
Every child that we have come across is a huge camping fan and we are sure that your child loves camping too.
Since camping outdoors when you have to work may not be very feasible, why not bring camping home?
Just place your camping tent right in the middle of your living room and have some fun time with your kids!
If you don’t have a tent, all you need to do is build a fort using blankets. Throw in a bunch of pillows and let your kids cozy up inside with books and games while you send out work emails from your makeshift camp!
Here’s a little secret, mums and dads - Balance is key when it comes to working from home with little kids.
We know you got this!
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