Are you a stay-at-home mom who also works in the comfort of your home? Then you know the struggle that comes with keeping your kids quiet and busy while you’re in an urgent meeting with one of your clients. If this sounds like a daily struggle, what do you do to keep them occupied?
Many work-from-home moms (and dads) resort to letting gadgets and other forms of technology to babysit their kids while working. The thing is, you should be wary of how much screen time your little ones have. What can you do to keep them busy?
Prepare snacks before working
Remote workers with kids often find it hard to focus due to their children asking for snacks several times each day. If you want to avoid this, pack healthy meals before your shift or before talking to an important client. This way, you can quickly grab their snacks without having to spend way too much time feeding your kids. You can worry about the mess later.
Establish quiet times
If your child is old enough to understand quiet time, talk to them about its importance. Tell them you will need them to stay calm whenever you’re talking to a client. You can also try to play the quiet game. While you’re on the phone, tell them to stay as quiet as they can. Praise them for an excellent job and surprise them with simple rewards. This can be a trip to their favorite ice cream parlor after work or a playdate with their beloved buddies. Simple rewards encourage them to cooperate with you when you need them to stay quiet.
Teach them scrapbooking
Scrapbooking can be an excellent form of recreation for kids. You get to encourage them to let their creativity shine. They get to create and preserve memories and forget about their hectic school life. Give them a variety of articles to work on, such as wood-mount stamps, pictures, coloring materials, different types of paper, and so on. Just make sure to give them age-appropriate materials and never let them use scissors and cutters.
Encourage them to paint
Painting can be a fun activity as long as you provide them with different materials to work on. For instance, you can get them new crayons, colored pens, or pencils to color a coloring book of their favorite cartoon characters. The next day, you can ask them to paint rocks using acrylic paint or outdoor craft paint. Giving them variations of the same activity can keep them occupied.
Initiate a clean-and-play policy
Kids love imitating adults, so why not use this opportunity to let your kids be your tiny helpers? Give them a small broom, a cute feather duster, or even a toy mop and let them do the sweeping, dusting, and mopping for you. Teach them to put their toys in their designated places. This activity teaches the value of hard work at an early stage.
It is essential to understand that kids will be kids. Children can be loud and will want your attention now and then. This is a common dilemma among remote workers who are also full-time parents. If you need to keep them quiet and preoccupied, consider this list as your guide.
