12 Awesome Activities to Keep Kids Busy While You Work From Home
While working at home may be a blessing to have more time with our families, it can also be challenging, especially when we have to keep our kids occupied while working or having a meeting. If you’re looking for fun and engaging activities to keep our kids entertained and stimulated, this is the blog post for you. This list of independent play activities may help moms entertain their kids while working at home without feeling bad. Ready?
1. Art and craft
Ages: Preschool and up
Art projects can keep some kids occupied for hours and you can work well at home. However, if these are to be independent activities, children should be able to do most of the setup and clean up on their own. So keep it simple!
Depending on your child’s age and hobby, here are some ideas:
- Coloring
- Watercolor painting
- Rock painting
- Paper dolls
- Necklace making
- Sticker making
- Origami
- Greeting card making
Choose the game your kids like and stock up on some basic art supplies (for example, scissors, glue, colored crayons, paints, colorful paper, and stickers)—all these things you can buy easily on Amazon.
2. Online play dates
Ages: Preschool and up
A play date can actually be an opportunity for work-at-home moms to actually work. Thanks to technology, kids can do many online activities at home via communication apps without a lot of adult intervention.
Besides, many of us are missing our Grandparents during lockdown. Even a quick call is sure to keep your children and your parents happy. After all, a virtual hug from grandma is better than no hug at all.
3. Reading
Ages: 6 and up
These are great places to start because if you send a reluctant or struggling reader off to read something difficult while you work, you won’t be instilling a love of books—quite the opposite. So to encourage reading, let kids choose several books from the library.
Plus, pick a few yourself in case they are unhappy with their choices later. It is better to return some unread than to not have a good book on hand when needed. Although it’s fantastic to have an e-reader or tablet, having some traditional books on hand may stimulate browsing, which may lead to reading.
If your children don’t like reading, listening to audiobooks may be an interesting option. Both books and audiobooks, you can buy on Amazon.)
4. Educational games
Ages: Preschool and up
If you have a computer or tablet available to your kids during work hours, educational computer games impart a little learning and some fun at the same time. These activities keep youngsters engaged in critical thinking, which prevents boredom.
Consider setting a time limit in advance on electronic games, even educational ones, because kids can find it hard to disengage from their screens. And honestly, as a parent, it is easy to let this quiet time for you to go on longer than it should.
5. Creative toys
Ages: Toddler and up
Lego, Magna-Tiles, Play-Doh, Kinetic Sand, Spirograph, Crayola Light-Up Tracing Pad, Perler Beads, Aqua Doodle, K’NEX, Stencils, Baby Dolls, doll houses, tea sets, puzzles, and the like force children to use their imagination which makes the possibilities for playtime endless.
6. Cooking
Ages: Preschool and up
With bowls, measuring cups, and spoons available, you may let your kid try things like dry cereal and rice, depending on their age. For older children, you can let them make pudding, jello, or one of these simple no-bake dishes.
7. Indoor camping
Ages: Preschool and up
Set up a tent of blankets and pillows for a “campsite” in the living room or any room with enough space. Turn the lights off and give your kids flashlights and healthy camping snacks. They might not be in nature but coloring or picture books with animals can bring a little bit of the outdoors inside.
8. Online learning
Ages: 8 and up
If you want to get the kids caught up with some academic work, there are some great sites with online learning activities, such as Khan Academy, National Geographic Kids, Oxford Owl for Home, etc.
Learning to code is an interesting idea. Scratch is a free online creative computer programming website that is suitable for all ages.
If your kids love art, dance, or yoga, there are also numerous online courses on YouTube for them.
9. Indoor treasure hunt
Ages: 7 and up
By turning their favorite goodies into a fun game, you may reward young children for their hard work or excellent behavior.
Hiding little candies or chocolates throughout the home is a good idea, but remember where you placed them or you’ll be stepping on them for weeks. Then give your children a set of clues to utilize so they may go in search of all that hidden treasure.
10. Gardening
Ages: Preschool and up
One of the simplest methods to educate your kid about nature and the life cycle is to plant seeds. Get some dirt and seeds, then sow your seeds in a pot. I’ve discovered that basil, sunflowers, and garlic bulbs grow easily and quickly. Your kids can also make their own Chia Pet by taking a cup, drawing a face on it, and then planting grass seeds.
11. Writing a story
Ages: 7 and up
Writing a story, a letter, or a comic story is also one of the creative activities for kids at home. Give your kid a notebook and a pen, and brainstorm story ideas. It’s likely your child will surprise you with their endless imagination.
12. Nothing
Ages: Preschool and up
Boredom is good for kids. Make a rule that if your kid announces they’re bored, they’ll have to do chores. So if they truly can’t think of anything off-hand to do… eventually, they’ll think of something and we don’t need to do that haha*.*
Summary: Awesome Activities For Kids While You Work From Home
Entertaining your kids without technology, while you work from home can be a challenge. But as working moms, we can arrange for them a lot of activities that inspire and encourage them to use their minds and bodies creatively and let us have quality time to focus on our tasks. I have shared some useful tips for stay-at-home moms to work well with kids around; you can check them out here. Finally, I hope you enjoy working and mommy-ing at home.
