5 Tips for Working from Home with Children

5 Tips for Working from Home with Children

During the pandemic, many parents have experienced the juggle of looking after children and working at the same time and I’m sure most would agree that it’s tough. For anyone who had to homeschool their children at the same time, it was even tougher.

I have been working from home for as long as I’ve been a parent and have quite a bit of experience in this area, so I thought I’d share a few of the things that have helped me juggle my work and parenting responsibilities to ensure I get my work done, get to spend time with my children and everyone is as happy as possible!

Here are my five tips for working from home with children:

• Teach your children to play independently.

This is an important skill for all children to learn but especially for ones of working from home parents. There are lots of things that children can play with independently and for younger kids you can set up different activities in the same room that you’re working in. If you don’t need to speak to anyone on the phone, then any toys are fine but if you have to join in meetings and calls, then the noisy toys might have to wait until later…

• Time your tasks wisely.

If you know that your child will have a nap, do your most challenging tasks then and schedule in meetings accordingly, or do some work while your little ones are having their lunch, sat next to them. Some children take a very long time to eat so this can mean a good chunk of work gets done while your little one is enjoying their food.

If you have childcare available from grandparents for example, ask to see if they can help for an hour or two here or there – it will make a huge difference. If your partner is working from home too, take turns to have the kids so that you both get a little bit of time to properly focus on just your work. This means you’ll be more efficient and can get more work done so that you can also focus on just your kids later as well without worrying about work task that are left undone.

• A bit of screen time is absolutely fine.

The iPad or TV should not babysit your child but watching a few episodes of their favourite show or a film for an older child, can be very helpful to allow you to crack on with your work tasks. Educational apps can also be a great way to keep children entertained. Modern kids use technology, and a bit of screen time can be a good way for your child to have a bit of calm time sitting still and for you to get more work done. My toddler loves Numberblocks which is a great educational show for children, available on BBC iPlayer.

• Separate play for siblings.

If you have more than one child, it can really help to set up separate activities for them to do to avoid bickering or them playing to noisily. If my kids are playing together, it soon gets loud, and they start running into our home office telling tales about each other. When that happens to much, it’s definitely time to do something separately whether that’s building Lego, reading a book or doing crafts.

• Don’t try to do everything at the same time.

Working from home with children involves a lot of juggling but you cannot do everything at once – it just doesn’t work. You need to focus on your work while you work and your kids when you’re playing with them (or homeschooling them). I try to be clear with the kids when I’m doing a work task and will let them know that I’ll play with them as soon as I’m done and stick to that promise.  For many this will involve working some hours outside Monday-Friday 9-5 but it’s worth it for your sanity, I promise! On a good day, I can do get my work done while the older kids are at school, but some days are busier and involve more juggling with all three kids at home too.

Overall, working from home is such a privilege and means that I can do the school runs and all the other parenting tasks and be with my children more, while also making a living. Getting the balance right can sometimes feel like a struggle so I hope these tips work well for you too.