Working from Home with Kids: 5 Activities to Keep them Engaged

Activities to keep kids busy at home – If someone asked me about working from home with kids, I’d say it’s impossible. I used to view parents who worked from home with some amount of awe, as I was pretty much convinced that these supermums and dads obviously knew some secret to managing kids that I am not aware of. Or their kids are self-sufficient! That had to be something!

But life has a way of questioning yourself at every point. The past year is a testament to that! When millions of parents around the globe suddenly found themselves thrust into a world of utter chaos, literally juggling between full-time careers, managing their homes, and parenting in tandem.

As a mom to a rather precocious little girl, I understand now (better than ever) how difficult it is to manage a child while working full time and doing all chores at home.

COVID-19 has pulled the plug on all of my preconceived notions about those parents who work from home and manage their kids and house quite well. The only relief here is that I am not alone. We are all in this together!

While working with kids at home is not an ideal situation, There are many ways to make it work. I spoke to a few of my friends and fellow parents to figure out how to keep their little ones busy while doing their own job.

Let’s get on with it, shall we?

Activities that will Keep Kids Busy and Entertained at Home

Like every other thing in life, planning ahead will help a great deal. And working from home when your kids are around is no exception.

Planning out your daily activities, especially that of your kids will help improve your focus and have a productive day.

“I make sure my daughter does her homework, art and crafts, reading, and other such activities while I’m working. While actual studies and other things like dictations, quizzes, and tests tend to happen after I’m done with work.”

What’s important is that you need to stick to the schedule. Once you have set an expectation with your child and they understand it well, then things will move smoothly (provided something urgent comes up, that is!).

Let’s look at some activities that can help keep your kid occupied while you are on that important client call or meeting, or you are just trying to get a job done.

1. Set up a working/activity corner

Look for a lively, well-light part of your home where you can set up an activity station that your kid can call their own and keep themselves occupied. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy; just a little desk or a small table and chair setup can do wonders.

You can set up the space within the child’s bedroom itself to make it easier; just add a small table that can be placed on the bed, perhaps. For small kids, you can keep the activity area close to where you usually are so you can keep an eye on them at all times.

Keep your breaks aligned to the activities planned with that of your kid’s schedule, so that you utilize all the free time with them and also unwind from your work stress. How about a short tea party at the kid’s activity corner? Sound’s great, isn’t it?

2. Introduce educative and interesting online gaming

Online gaming is yet another way to have fun and learn something at the same time. It is a perfect choice to instill a sense of exploration and the possibility of having fun while learning.

While there are many age-appropriate games for kids to enjoy and stimulate their creative side, online games also save you a lot of time and energy. My friend recently introduced me to Plays.org which is a lifesaver; this website offers over 100 fun games (some of them will also remind you of the video games of our times!!).

So, if you have an important meeting coming up and your kid is just not in the mood to settle down, these games may not only just soothe them, but also keep them entertained with non-stop adventure and fun.

It can even help you destress if you are up for it! (honest confession of a mom) I too play these games, just after my working hours or post winding up the day’s schedule. My personal favorites are Solitare, Super Snake, Classic Minesweeper, Duck-Shooter, and Tetris, to name a few. They actually help me relax and improve my focus so I can finally get my job done correctly. Best stress-buster I must say!

My daughter, who is learning how to code, is absolutely fascinated by this website and often spends time trying out the various games published here. It has only helped her learn and understand the art of coding and other subjects on a level I may not have thought possible, considering she has not really gone to school in over a year and a half!

Online Gaming has changed, and today’s Gen Z is enjoying the transformation. As a parent, I recommend involving kids with online gaming as these games help in cognitive learning and also keep kids busy at home –

• With your assistance and encouragement, children may develop an interest in building games and the science behind them.
• Critical thinking – Online gaming boost problem-solving ability and creativity in kids.
• Children who are good at online gaming have far better visual-spatial and reading skills.
• Team-building – kids living in nuclear families find it difficult to adjust in groups, and online gaming helps them with team-building skills.

Since we love playing games on Plays.org, you may also like to check the website’s footer for a whole range of games they offer.

The games published here are –

• Free and relatively simple.
• No unwanted ads pop up while you play, keeping the content safe and age-appropriate for children.
• A safer choice than some other online games that can alter your identity and cause addiction in a few cases.
• All you need to do is go on the website, and you are all set!! How simple is that?
• No downloads or registrations are required here.

3. Set up virtual play dates

The pandemic is still not over, so it is in the best interest of your child and those around you to set up virtual playdates with your children’s friends on Zoom or Google Hangouts. It doesn’t have to be limited to the kids either; you can take part by reading a story to the kids, playing a game with them, or inviting parents to participate, even.

4. Encourage a lot of reading to keep kids busy at home

The American journalist Margaret Fuller once said, “Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.” It’s never too early, nor too late, to get your child into the habit of reading. And with all this downtime at home, it could be the perfect time to inculcate the habit.

How do you do that? Well, you can get books that seem to interest your kid to make it more likely for them to pick them up. You can also spend time with them reading the books. Take the extra step and act out and emphasize the stories to make them more exciting and hook your kids to the world of books.

5. Get them to watch educational documentaries and podcasts

Books are one dimension to engage your kids. In this day and age, you also have audio and visual mediums to access. Sites like YouTube and podcast channels are great places to find educational podcasts on all kinds of topics that your child may find fascinating. There are also plenty of free and paid sources of educational documentaries that can impart knowledge in a fun and engaging manner.

Also, read about instilling self-esteem in your child, here.

Parting Thoughts

What’s important for you to understand is that there’s no one right way to get through this predicament, obviously, it would not last forever. You can try any of these activities and ensure you are not interrupted between work. But do not actually force it on your child. It’s vital that they enjoy whatever it is that they’re doing.

So, cut yourself some slack, and you’ll do just fine!!

Copyright

©Dipika Singh. This article is the property of the site’s author. Any unauthorized use or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Dipika Singh (Gleefulblogger). With the right and specific direction to the original content.