When you are working with kids at home, you might experience numerous distractions. Fortunately, these brilliant tips will ensure you remain focused.
You’re working with kids at home this season? Nice!
By this point, you’ve tried every trick you can think of to maintain the work-from-home dance and balancing act.
In the United States, over 55.1 million students have been affected by school closures.
Times are challenging at the moment and now more than ever it’s hard to decide how to work with kids at home.
For those looking for ways to work in the midst of all the distractions, we’ve compiled a list of seven brilliant ideas for working with kids at home.
- Use Technology to Your Benefit
Overnight, you’ve added teacher and entertainer to your list of parenting duties. Don’t do it all alone. Use technology to your benefit. Try introducing new avenues of learning for your child such as:
- Educational videos
- Virtual puzzles
- Video chat
Changing up your kid’s traditional studying habits with technology helps keep them engaged and yearning for more.
Telecommuting is very versatile and can work wonders when you’re working from home with babies and young kids.
- Find a Designated Place to Work
Kids trying to pester you while you work? Find a designated place to work in your home for both you and your child. Avoid communal areas of the house while you work.
Create a space that is unique to learning time for your child to make it feel special. Try to clear off a space in the house for them to make their own.
Add things like photos, quotes, and drawings to make their workplace feel like a real-life office. Let your child take the lead on decorating the space so they feel like it belongs to them and it needs to be treated with respect.
Choose a location with minimal distractions. A corner, landing, hallway, or closet is the perfect nook. Don’t forget to organize learning supplies for easy use. Consider a cup filled with writing utensils and a tray with writing paper.
Don’t forget to add stress relievers to help your child concentrate. Try items like:
- Rubik’s cube
- Silly Putty
- Fidget spinner
Items like these help your child release built-up energy while allowing them to stay on task.
- Communicate with Your Family Members
The tip of the day for work and at home is communication. Communication with your family members helps set clear expectations for everyone.
If you’re part of a two-member household, remember to discuss the workload with your significant other. Try working in shifts to allow one parent to work on business and the other to take charge of the kids.
When communicating with your children remember to:
- Let your child finish speaking before responding
- Make instructions straightforward
- Avoid blaming
If you experience an in-house conflict, remember to be specific and pay attention to the superficial. Encourage emotional literacy and keep your expectations consistent with all members of the family.
- Establish a Routine
When working with kids from home is crucial to establish a routine. Set small, specific goals to achieve throughout the day. Don’t forget to offer incentives to further encourage your child.
Learning looks different for everyone. There are seven learning styles, which include:
- Aural
- Logical
- Physical
- Visual
- Social
- Solitary
- Verbal
Some work better with pictures, images, and spatial understanding, while others enjoy studying through writing and speech. Try to offer different learning opportunities throughout the week.
Don’t be afraid to build in free time. It serves as a great goal for your child to reach.
- Take a Break
Sometimes it’s inevitable. You feel burnt out and overextended with everything going on. Remember it’s okay to take a break.
Give yourself a ten-minute break for every fifty minutes of work. Completely unplug and take this time to reset. Take this time to encourage your kids to take a break too. It’s the perfect opportunity to get some of their energy out and refocus.
Try to create activity boxes for your children. Include items like:
- Art projects
- Mazes
- Coloring pages
This helps your kids entertain themselves and allow you a few minutes to breathe.
- Set Boundaries
There are some tasks you’ll need to get done without your kids popping in every few minutes. Be upfront with your kids and tell them when you need to be alone to concentrate. Try adding visual signals such as:
- Close the door
- Put up a sign
- Show a thumbs up or down
Your kids may be doing some extra activities more often right now, such as watching television or playing video games. Be clear to your kids that this is a special privilege and it’s a freedom that is temporary right now.
- Be Honest with Your Employer
It is important, to be honest with your employer. Once you have set boundaries and established a routine, don’t be afraid to share your needs with your boss. Ask for flexibility and be upfront with your availability.
During the conversation with your employer, remember to:
- Take ownership of your career
- Ask what you want
- Offer solutions
- Be open-minded
Be proactive with your communication. Let your employers know you can’t guarantee every conference call to be interruption-free. Remember your boss is also a person. They’ll likely be more than willing to work with you.
Working with Kids at Home
Work can be challenging enough. When you are working with kids at home, you experience numerous distractions. Fortunately, these brilliant tips will make sure you stay focused.
Don’t let working with kids at home add to your stress. You’ve got this!
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A professional writer with over a decade of incessant writing skills. Her topics of interest and expertise range from health, nutrition and psychology.