It can be hard to juggle work and family life, especially if you’re a working parent who also has to take care of their kids and don’t want to take them to a daycare center. Luckily, there are many ways to make the situation easier on yourself, and they all center around finding ways to make your children happy while working from home.
Establish a routine
Establishing a routine is essential for all kids, but it’s particularly crucial for children younger than six. They need to know what they can expect from you, and they need to know that the world will not stop if something goes wrong.
For example: if your child gets home from school at 3:30 pm, you must be home by 4:00 pm—no later! If she asks why this rule exists (and let’s be honest—it will), explain that no matter how well-behaved or good-natured she may be, there are still rules for her safety and happiness. And don’t forget about yourself either!
Establishing a routine also helps parents establish order within their own lives; knowing exactly when things happen makes it easier to plan ahead of time, so there aren’t any surprises when deadlines arrive unexpectedly later on down the road.
Get them involved in the process
- Let your kids help with mundane tasks.
- Let them help with cooking.
- Let them help with cleaning.
- Let them help with shopping (if you have a car).
- Let them do laundry if you have enough space in the house and they’re old enough to understand what needs to be done and where the things are supposed to go when they’re out of the washing machine!
Create space and time for online learning
- Create space and time for online learning.
- Make sure you have a safe, comfortable place to study at home, free from distractions like TV or movies. If your kids are still young, consider setting up their own “playroom” with video games and toys that won’t interfere with their learning process.
You can also create an area where they can do homework by themselves (or with your help), so they learn how to set priorities in life without having too much stress on them at once!
If this sounds difficult—and it might be—it’s essential not to give up! There are many websites out there offering free content on everything from math problems to science experiments.
Just search Google for “how-to” topics related specifically to your child’s age group so that when he asks what would happen if we threw this rock into the water instead of air…you’ll know exactly how many times over which distance before reaching the bottom floor level would result?”
Set some rules around technology use
- Setting limits on technology use can help your kids feel more comfortable with you being away at work.
- Turning off the TV and other screens is a great way to encourage imagination, creativity, and social skills. It also helps them learn how important it is to stay active and engaged in life!
- Don’t let them play on their phones or tablets in the car—it may seem like an innocent activity that doesn’t hurt anyone, but it could be dangerous if they’re not paying attention while driving (or even texting).
Instead, have them do something else while riding with you; maybe read instead of watching Netflix/YouTube videos? Or maybe go outside and play catch!
The key here is consistency: If one day you decide not to allow them access at all times; then another day where we allow only certain apps but no internet connection during those hours; then another where we allow both types of devices but no texting during school hours…
This flexibility will ensure everyone feels involved without feeling overwhelmed by rules that aren’t always clear-cut (often change weekly).
Keep the house organized so you can find things when you need them
- Keep the house organized so you can find things when you need them.
- Use baskets, bins, and containers to keep everything in its place. This will make it easier for your kids to know where their things are and how they fit into the overall scheme of things in their room.
For example: If they want a book out of the bookshelf but don’t want it on top of another book that’s already there (because then someone else would have access to both), put those two items together so they won’t get mixed up with other items during transport.
Likewise, with food items—you want each person’s favorite foods separated by type (i.e., fruit vs meat) so as not to spoil anyone’s dietary preferences or allergies before mealtime rolls around!
- Set up systems for organizing toys from different places, like garage sales or friends’ houses, so no one ever gets left behind.
Make mealtimes fun
- Make mealtimes fun.
- Be a role model.
- Set an example of healthy eating and cooking by trying new things with your kids or encouraging them to try new foods and recipes.
New recipes, new ideas for lunch, and fun ways to get them to eat vegetables
- Involve your children in the process of preparing food.
- Cooking is a great way to spend time with your kids, and you can use this time to teach them about healthy eating habits and develop their culinary skills.
- There are lots of fun ways to get kids involved in meal planning and grocery shopping: cooking together, creating recipes (or asking them what they want), choosing ingredients from the market, or growing veggies in your garden.
Encourage your kids to get creative in the kitchen
if they are anything like mine. They will enjoy the kitchen more when it’s fun and interesting.
I love cooking, but my husband doesn’t—he thinks it is just for adults and that he doesn’t need to know how to cook. He also thinks he can live off of convenience foods like pizza or sandwiches (which I think is a terrible idea).
So, one day while we were making dinner together, I decided to try something new: I made homemade pasta dough from scratch! After some trial and error with the recipe (which turned out surprisingly well), we made our homemade macaroni and cheese from scratch and meatballs in tomato sauce over red linguine, which was both delicious!
Teach them to do tasks around the house
- Teach your kids how to do tasks around the house.
- Make sure they understand what you want them to do and why. If a chore seems too simple, it probably is! Don’t just tell your kids that they need to clean up their room or wash their hands before dinner; show them how by giving them some instructions (e.g., “I want everything in this room put away by 5:00 p.m., so go get started right now!”).
- Be patient with yourself and your children as well—you may have different ideas about what exactly should be done in each situation, but if there’s one thing we’ve learned from our own experiences working from home with children is that nobody has all day long so don’t expect perfection every single day!
Engage with your kids outside of the home
- Go on a picnic. Kids love to play outside, and they will be excited to see you!
- Go on a hike. This is great for family bonding time, exercise, and nature exploration.
- Play hide-and-seek or other games that get everyone moving around the house (or outside if it’s warm enough).
Some ideas include tag, musical chairs, Jenga, or connect fours; karaoke in the living room; relay races around the house with one person carrying a cup of water in each hand; water balloon fights with some adult supervision required.* Play fetch with your dog or cat when they’re home alone while you’re at work.
Go to parks/parks near your home where there are trails through woods or lawns that can accommodate strollers safely while still providing lots of opportunities for kids aged 2-7 years old who might want their parents’ attention during these times, such as watching their siblings struggle along without them nearby.”
It’s not always easy, but it helps if you can make it fun!
One of the best things you can do to keep your kids happy while you work from home is to ensure they have fun. It’s not always easy, but it helps if you can make it fun!
- Don’t stress if they don’t want to do the same thing you do (or even at all). This will help them understand that their needs are different than yours and that there are other ways to express themselves outside of what we expect them to do or say.
- Don’t force them into anything they don’t want by making them feel guilty about leaving their toys out or taking breaks for everyone else around us who isn’t just as busy as us (and sometimes more so) but still wants our attention too!
We all need breaks sometimes after working hard all day long, so don’t worry about keeping up with everyone else; just make sure when those moments come up when perhaps you could take care of something yourself instead because sometimes people need alone time too..which leads me nicely into point two…
Conclusion
With a little effort and creativity, you can make it easier for your kids to get along with their technology and still enjoy being home with you. Plan enjoyable activities on your day off.
You can set up a schedule, create rules about how much time they spend on social media or in front of the TV, and even find ways to engage them in housework, like cooking healthy meals together. And remember that it’s not only Mommy and Daddy who need to be happy while working from home!