As a work-at-home mom there is a great balancing act that we have to perform. Working your home-business and keeping your kids busy and productive is a full-time job. My kids are 10 years, 2 years, and 7 1/2 months old. Keeping them busy while working has been the biggest obstacle that I have encountered in my at home career. I have tried to involve my 10-year-old in my business as much as possible and as my other two kids get older, I will be involving them as well. My 10-year-old has helped me staple cards and flyers, put out flyers, and throw candy in local parades. She absolutely knows that mommy is working for the benefit of our whole family. While the kids are not helping me with my business, I have found a few activities that keep them occupied.
Number ONE: Playing Outside
During every season except winter I send my 2-year-old and 10-year-old outside to play in our fenced in backyard while I set up my workstation at the kitchen table so that I can see them. They have a bin of toys for outdoors, things like balls, jump ropes, etc. They love to get outside and run off some of their excess energy. While they are outside I often have peace and quiet to get some good work done.
Number TWO: Toys
This seems like the most obvious of all things to have your kids do, but let me give you my little secret to toy play. I have separate bins of toys and I bring out one bin at a time. The other bins get put into a closet for a couple weeks and then I rotate the bins. This keeps the toys always feeling like something new to them. It's like at holiday time, the kids get new toys and they play with them constantly for a couple weeks and then they sit at the bottom of the toy box for months at a time. Keeping them busy with their "NEW" toys is very helpful for mommy's work time.
Number THREE: Naptime
I utilize 100% of my kids naptime in the afternoon. I have the two little ones schedules coordinated so that they nap at the same time in the afternoon. I then have at least an 1.5-2 hours of complete quiet time. I have my whole to-do list organized before I put them down for naps and that way the moment that I put them down, I hit the ground running, wasting no time in getting the things on my to-do list done.
Number FOUR: Quiet Activites
Your child, regardless of age, will LOVE a good book. My two-year-old enjoys a bright, colorful book with lots of pictures. He makes up his own story about the picture, which is an excellent activity for his age. My 10-year-old can lose herself in a story that she is reading. Most kids enjoy art activities also. At two, they are happy with a crayon and piece of paper or coloring book. At ten, they might be more interested in drawing, tracing, or crafts like friendship bracelets or bead animals. Puzzles are also a great quiet-time activity and they are made for any age and ability level. Any of these activities will keep your child occupied for an age appropriate amount of time and give you the chance to sneak away to complete a few more tasks on your to-do list.
Number FIVE: T.V./Movie Time
I am not a big advocate of putting your child in front of the T.V. and using it as a babysitter, but once in awhile if you have a quickly approaching deadline or a very important phone call to make, it is okay to use a favorite show or movie. T.V. is very comparable to sweets, it is ok if used in moderation.
I encourage you to give a few of these things a try to balance working your business and keeping your kids happy and productive. I have really found some of these things to be useful tools.
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