Contents
- Working from home with a toddler
- How do I keep my 2 year old busy while working from home?
- How do I keep my 3 year old busy while working from home?
- How do I keep my 4 year old busy while working from home?
If you have a bundle of fun who’s in the toddler stage, you know how much energy it takes to keep them entertained. If you are trying to concentrate while working or keep them quiet on a conference call this might seem like mission impossible.
So, is it possible to work from home with toddlers? You can make it work with a little creativity and planning, and we’re going to explain how.
Working from home with toddlers
The number of working from home parents is on the rise, especially due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Many parents are choosing to continue to work from home either a few days a week or full-time if their jobs permit it. Of course, no one expects this to be simple but it is very rewarding for toddlers and parents alike. 🤗
If you are used to working from home with a baby, consider the fact that a toddler will be more mobile and therefore pose more of a challenge. For this reason, we’re going to share some great ideas on how to keep your toddler busy while you’re working.
But first, here are some useful tips to help you plan your day:
⏰ Get a head start
Get up a couple of hours before your toddler so you can have some solid quiet time to get things done. Use any nap time during the day on tasks you need to focus on while you have a calm space. Remember, your toddler needs between 10-14 hours of sleep each day and this helps avoid temper tantrums.
📅 Set a clear schedule
Yes, your work is important but so is spending time with your toddler and putting work aside for 15 minutes. Set a routine so you have breaks from work throughout the day and play or snuggle with your little and give them some undivided attention. Kids need a routine and structure and will respond better this way.
👩👩👦👦 Use your support network
Look for other parents in your neighbourhood who work from home, possibly even colleagues. Offer to take days looking after each other's children, especially on days you have back-to-back meetings.
Can any of your family or friends help by holding virtual playdates to entertain your kids by reading to them, or any activity that works on a video playdate?
If you implement these strategies it will make your life easier. Of course, the final piece of the puzzle when working from home with children is keeping them busy. 👍
How do I keep my 2 year old busy while working from home?
Keeping your 2 year old busy and semi-quiet at the same time is not an easy task. Of course, they’ll all have their favourite games and you should keep these in reserve for when you have a conference call or piece of work that needs maximum concentration during the working day.
Here are some great ideas that 2 year old’s love:
🐤 Building blocks of any kind or even sponges to make colourful quiet towers. This age-old activity is a continuous cycle of building, falling, and starting all over again.
🐤 Foam stickers are a convenient and less messy activity than painting or drawing. If your toddler is more interested in you and what you’re doing, why not throw some sticky notes their way and ask them to “help you” arrange them on a piece of paper.
🐤 Car or train sets that you can help them set up before you start work.
Because it’s harder to keep this age group entertained for long, why not set up stations in the room where each activity is laid out. When they finish an activity they need to pack it away in the box/container before moving to the next one. Then they can keep moving around the activities.
How do I keep my 3 year old busy while working from home?
Your 3 year old will also keep you on your toes.
Here are some ideas to keep them entertained and stimulated long enough for you to get more than just a few emails out:
🦄 Give them some headphones and let them listen to audiobooks like The Snowy Day or Winnie-the-Pooh stories.
🦄 Let them work their way through colouring in or sticker books.
🦄 Give them any stamp set suitable for ages 3 and up and let them loose on some plain paper.
How do I keep my 4 year old busy while working from home?
Your 4 year old will be able to keep themself entertained for longer periods.
Here are some ideas to get you started:
🐒 Get them some I-spy books. These never fail to delight and your kid will have to concentrate hard, keeping them engaged longer.
🐒 Ask them to help you decorate your home office or office space by making drawings for your walls or playdough models to brighten up your desk. Then they can remodel it as often as is needed to keep the designs up-to-date and them busy.
🐒 Buy them lots of different puzzles to improve their hand-eye coordination and keep them entertained.
These are just some of the great quiet activities that your toddlers can do without you. 🎧 We haven’t mentioned screen time or watching shows online but don’t feel bad about letting your toddler watch their favourite show with headphones when you need time. Some days their concentration levels will be lower or they run out of energy playing alone.
The most important thing to remember is that working from home with toddlers isn’t supposed to be easy. There isn’t a parent on this planet that thinks it is. It’s a delicate juggling act but we know you can do it. 🥰 Just remember to go easy on yourself and your child.
