10 Strategies to Entertain Kids for Work at Home Parents
10 STRATEGIES TO ENTERTAIN KIDS FOR WORK AT HOME PARENTS
It happens. I’m not talking about snow days or school in-service days or when they are sick. I’m talking about the days when your hard work, focus and ambition line up with opportunity and you need to keep your sweet children entertained so you can quickly get some important work done.
One great principle for reaching your dreams is understanding and learning how to simply jump through that golden door into the land of opportunity. I mean really doing it. Your hard work and focus have created real moments for personal and professional growth and you simply have to do it. You’ve got to launch yourself through that door with a great big pounce! Like right now!
Wait. You’re a mom and those sweet, innocent kids of yours are underfoot – for whatever reason other than it is a typical day in the life of a Stay at Home Mom or Work At Home Mom. Oh! and the dishwasher needs to be emptied and refilled, the dryer buzzed with an oversized load of clothes that need to be folded before wrinkles set in, and your stomach is growling AND the kids are whining. Not that whining is anything new.
But this moment, this chance to truly climb up a rung on that ladder is here. So what can you do?
Pull out all the stops. Whip out everything in your child entertainment arsenal and forget the guilt. Let it go. That’s right – if you focus on the guilt, you won’t do your best work. Think of it this way, you are showing your kids that hard work pays off, as does believing big, and when these moments of opportunity arise, it’s important to make the best of them.
Here are my go to GOLDEN playtime activities for keeping your kids occupied so you can focus:
- Play dough. Who cares about the mess! Get it out. All of it! Throw in all of the cups, cookie cutters and odd ball objects to spark their imaginations.
- Indulge in extra movie time and treats. In my house, we call it having a ‘Blankie Party’ and it means every blanket the kids can find ends up in the living room. They burrow themselves in and if you are lucky one might fall asleep.
- Bring the bikes and Lil Tyke scooters inside. I can see your eyes bulging. This works great for unfinished basements and open living spaces with kitchen islands and dining room tables to race around. The perk – it burns off those extra treats they ate during movie time.
- Create living room Olympics. Your kiddos will have to get creative rearranging the obstacles made out of pillows, chairs, and random objects. If you have home exercise equipment like light dumbbells, jump ropes or exercise bands they can make up their own Olympic sporting events.
- Pull out the laundry baskets (it’s not like you’re doing that laundry anyways) and empty cardboard boxes. Who knows what kind of games they will come up with? It’s sure to keep them entertained playing spaceships, sailboats, hide and seek etc.
- Last summer my son made a caterpillar house made of two boxes he taped together. It still gets played with – even in winter. Should I mention the real caterpillar box actually went missing and to this day we haven’t found it – or the caterpillars?
- This is the glory of all ‘Awesome Moms’ – the coveted tent. Kitchen tables, chairs, bar stools, the kid’s play kitchens, the kiddie tent – it all gets utilized in our house. And if you used #2 The Blankie Party idea – the blankets are right there ready to use.
- Paints. Water paints. Crayola paints. In my house I hate this one. By the time I have the newspapers laid out on the table and the paints in the paint tray and craft bibs on the kids and I sit down – they are done. But maybe your kids are more entertained with painting.
- Legos. Otherwise known as the mess from hell. Depending on the day, the kids will play with them for hours or simply dump the two giant tubs of itsy bitsy vacuum rattling pieces and walk away.
- Puzzles. It sounds boring. But if you save them for “I really have to get this done” emergencies – they may just bite. Or suck you into doing the puzzles with them.
- Not to be gender biased, but unless you have a son, you likely don’t have train tracks. If you do – lug that massive tub of trains to a different part of the house and let the choo-chooing begin. No train tracks? Dress up time. Let the kids play in your clothes. Yeah, you heard me. Let them indulge in wearing dad’s tie and giant shoes and your scarves and heels. If you have old makeup – give it to them and it will guarantee they will be getting a bath in the near future.
There you have it. A certified list of activities to entertain your little hooligans so that you – Mom on a Mission – can get that vital work done. With these tactics you might just achieve your goal with limited interruptions.
Other helpful hints for success? A big cup of coffee and a secret stash of chocolate.
READ MORE FROM DECISIVE. EMPOWERED. RESILIENT:
ABOUT NICOLETTE: Nicolette is a success author, blogger, and athlete. Her writing encompasses living decisively, self-empowerment and motivating others, with a focus on success principles such as achieving goals, and building focus and discipline. She enjoys running, boxing, kickboxing and coaching youth soccer. As a No Excuse Moms Group Leader and Girls Gone Sporty Ambassador, Nicolette enjoys sharing her love for sports and fitness while leading women and youth and setting a good example for living a fit and healthy lifestyle. Visit Nicolette’s blog www.Decisive.Empowered.Resilient.com for inspiration, success tactics, running and fitness tips, and parenting humor. Nicolette is also a Mom’s Magazine contributor.
Follow Nicolette on Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Google + | Instagram | LinkedIn
PIN IT FOR LATER:
This post was syndicated with permission to BonBon Break Media, LLC.
Click to see more from the Playroom
