As of this writing, Thanksgiving is creeping closer and closer (it’s ALREADY November!!) and things are even more hectic than usual… but you can still be productive with young children around.
Even if your kids are school aged (mine are a year and half and six months), there are things that can be done during those imminent school breaks and holidays to help you keep your sanity (and productivity) while they run around the house.
My niece is eight and lives VERY close (practically in our home) so this article was also written with her in mind, as well as my two boys.
Settle for Less
Wait, what? An article about being productive with young children around and the first thing out of my mouth is “settle for less”?!
In all fairness, if you are equally as productive with the kids around as you are when they are away, then there is a chance (a decent chance) that the kids aren’t getting enough of your time and/or attention. With that being said, it’s completely fine to accomplish less when the kids are around and need you. It’s natural. It happens.
Adjust your expecations of yourself.
Being Productive with Young Children Around = Scheduling
If your kids are around more than usual (school break?) or simply monopolizing all of your time (and you really have to get some dishes washed!) scheduling is your new best friend. If your kids are old enough to understand, you could use a schedule with them, but for our purposes I’m referring to you having a schedule.
- Pick either mornings or evenings (depending on whether you are an early bird or a night owl) and wake up slightly earlier or stay up a little bit later
- Take advantage of nap time when age appropriate (sleep training is amazing for making nap time happen! Read about our sleep training adventures over at Why Sleep Training?)
- Plan in advance what you want to accomplish during these mornings/evenings and nap time
Special Activities
Consider special activities for giving you time to be productive with young children around. This could be something like screen time, if that is something they don’t normally get, or quiet activities that keep them occupied while you need to be productive.
My niece loved making “moon dough” together, and then she was able to play with it in a designated area while we were productive.. but here are some suggestions for even younger children (please don’t leave them unsupervised, these are ideas to help you be productive while also being nearby)..
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Ideas for Toddlers
- Age appropriate puzzles or games
- Taste safe sensory bins
- Building blocks
- a drawing tablet (“pen” only writes or draws on tablet)
- bubble machine (on but out of reach)
- screen time with age appropriate guards
Ideas for Young School Aged Kids on Break
- Kids exercise or dance videos
- Taste safe dough (make together and then let them play with it)
- Indoor scavenger hunt (takes a little advance planning)
- Paper and crayons
- Cardboard boxes for mazes or forts
- Blanket and pillow fort building
Things to Consider
Before occupying a child or toddler in order to be productive, keep the child’s needs in mind. Are they getting time with you, too? Is the time that they spend with you meeting their needs (think Five Love Languages)? After carefully considering those answers, go be productive with young children around minus the guilt. There might not be such a thing as true “balance” (because if everything is important, nothing truly is), but there definitely is such a thing as making sure important people in your life recognize that you care.
How do you manage to be productive with young children in the home or on break from school? Let me know in the comments below!
Christian, wife, “hybrid” mama, I run the site All Behind A Smile to help others like me.
[…] but did I change yours? Let me know in the comments below. And while you’re here: visit Being Productive with Young Children Around to see twelve ideas for keeping kids busy so you can get more done… plus fuel for […]