5 Ways to Keep the Kids Busy While You Work at Home
I’ve been working from home as a freelance writer for seven years now. My children were all under the age of four when I first began seriously pursuing home-based writing opportunities. If finding paying gigs was the most challenging aspect of working from home, keeping my children worked a close second.
In the beginning, I imagined myself parenting by day and writing at night; and although I logged in a few late nights to meet pending deadlines, I quickly realized that writing all night couldn’t be my regular working schedule when I was expected to wake up each morning before fajr, and stay awake to manage the children and the household throughout the rest of the day. I was my children’s caretaker 24/7, so I realized if I was going to write, I would have to figure out how to carve out time for writing during my busy, unpredictable days with children underfoot.
Working at home with my children involved some trial and error in the beginning, but eventually we figured out how to make it work. Every family is unique, and various factors come into play when you work at home with children, such as, age and the number of little ones in your household. Most of these tips are for children age 10 and under (because that’s the age group I’m dealing with in my household), but hopefully you’ll find some of the following suggestions helpful:
Keep Your Kids on a Schedule
I have to admit I didn’t operate on much of a schedule before I had children. Today I doubt I could survive without one. Experts say children thrive on having a routine and knowing what to expect. I agree. I learned to keep everyone on a daily routine that involved sleeping, waking, and eating at the same time each day. I also schedule things like television and computer time, outdoor time, nap time and quiet time. I deviated from the schedule once or twice and immediately noticed that everyone was crankier and more out of sorts than when the schedule was in place. I find it’s much easier for me to plan my work schedule around my children than the other way around.
Baby-Proof and Enclose Your Work Area
When my toddler twins started walking around the house, I immediately bought safety gates to keep them and their three-year old sister enclosed in the same room where I worked so I could keep a close eye on everyone. A baby can slip away unnoticed very quickly. Keep toys in the area (rotate them regularly because children can grow bored playing with the same toys over and over again), and you can check your email, or work on projects requiring more concentration while they play.
Keep Workbooks, Coloring Books and Crayons Accessible
Workbooks, coloring books, pencils, markers and crayons can keep kids busy while you work. Your child may really like the idea of “working” on her own project along side you.
Create an “Activity Area”
Create a small “activity station” you keep stocked full of items like blank paper, construction paper, crayons, markers, colored pencils, play dough, chalk, stencils, glitter, glue, stickers and more. Put a small table in the designated area with the understanding that your children will make a mess while working, but it will keep them well preoccupied and stimulate creativity.
Wear Your Baby
Newborns and nursing babies love nothing more than being snuggled up close to Mommy, feeling her warmth, smelling her scent and hearing her soothing heartbeat. A sling, or baby carrier, makes it easy to keep your baby close while you respond to emails, update blog posts or research writing opportunities. There are many different cultures around the world where it is customary for mothers to wear their babies while working. There are experts that say “sling babies” learn more than babies left to lie in carriers and cribs because they spend more time alert and quietly interacting with their environment which leads to enhanced visual and verbal stimulation.
Do you work from home? If so, how do you keep your kids busy?
photo credit: danielmoyle
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Category: Family
great post!
?anya and baby kenzi
theveiledbump.blogspot.com
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Thanks for proving simple solution to my problem. I will definitely follow all the tips that you have shared with us and Keep up the good work.
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It is really difficult to maintain work with kids. Your tips are helpful for working moms. I often struggle to find time to do my work. I don’t like to ignore my child because he is crazy for my attention. I mostly work at night when my kid has gone to bed. I will try your tip to create an activity area. It could be best to keep children busy.
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@anya and @Akishya: Thank you for your comments.
@Online Chemist UK: I know just what you mean. My 5 year old is constantly vying for my attention when I work. I’m fortunate to be able to get most of my work done while my children are attending school during the day (and sometimes I log in time at night as well). He seems to be content to work on his own “projects” near me (e.g. coloring, playing games on the laptop, puzzles, crafts, etc.). Many times our little ones just need to be near us, although taking a break to give one-on-one attention periodically is necessary.
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