Being a mom is a full-time job in itself, but when you add working from home into the mix, it can become quite challenging to keep your little ones occupied while you tackle your professional responsibilities. This blog post will provide you tips on how to find a work-life balance as a working mom with a collection of practical hacks and creative ideas to help keep your kids engaged and entertained during your working hour along with some of my favorite product suggestions. With these strategies, you can strike a balance between your work and your children’s well-being.
1. Setting Up an Engaging Environment
If possible, creating a dedicated workspace is essential for any working mom to establish a productive and focused environment while keeping an eye on the kid. Below are some tips for achieving this goal.
- Find a space that can be easily supervised while working, such as a corner of the living room or a nearby room with a door that can be left open.
- Consider setting up a play area nearby with age-appropriate toys and activities to keep your children engaged.
- Set boundaries and establish clear rules with your kids about when they can approach you during work hours.
- Create a schedule that includes dedicated breaks for quality time with your children to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
- Utilize technology such as child-friendly educational apps or videos to keep your kids entertained during crucial work moments.
- Communicate with your children about your work schedule, explaining why your undivided attention is necessary at times and assuring them of your love and availability during designated breaks.
2. Designing a Child-Friendly Corner
- Select a safe and easily supervised corner in your home to create a child-friendly space.
- Incorporate age-appropriate toys, games, and puzzles to encourage exploration and creativity.
- Provide a low table or desk for your child to engage in crafts, drawing, or other hands-on activities.
- Use colorful and engaging wall decals or posters to add a playful touch to the space.
- Organize storage containers or bins to keep toys and materials easily accessible and organized.
- Display books on reachable shelves or in a bookcase, creating an inviting reading corner.
- Consider adding a sensory element such as a sensory table or a basket of sensory toys, to stimulate your child’s senses.
- Ensure the area is well-lit, either with natural light or with appropriate lighting fixtures.
- Personalize the space with your child’s artwork, photos, or favorite characters to make it feel special and inviting.
3. Organizing Activity Zones for the kids
- Divide your child’s play area into different zones based on activities, such as a reading zone, building zone, arts and crafts zone, and imaginary play zone.
- Use shelving units or storage bins to separate and organize toys, materials, and supplies for each specific activity.
Related Topic: Toy Organization Ideas for a Small Space
- Create designated spaces within each zone, such as a cozy reading nook with a bookshelf and a comfortable chair or a table with art supplies for the arts and crafts zone.
- Rotate toys and activities periodically to keep the zones fresh and engaging for your child.
- Keep safety in mind by storing age-appropriate toys and materials within reach and ensuring that any potentially hazardous items are out of your child’s reach.
- Use visual cues, such as color-coded labels or picture symbols, to help your child understand and navigate the different activity zones.
- Give kids open-ended toys that can keep them busy for longer time.
4. Prepare for the week ahead of time
- Creating a daily schedule is key when you juggle work and kids at the same time. It gives you the opportunity to prioritize work based on kid’s nap time and independent playtime.
- Keep a weekly activity planner on hand, either digital or physical. Looking into the week ahead and planning it out takes the constant mental load out of the head and into the paper.
- Stocking up on weeks’ worth of activity supplies and materials is another great idea to avoid a run to the store in the middle of a work day. This rolhttps://amzn.to/43v2MRvling cart is my go-to for any activity supply organization.
- Have a pantry/fridge full of healthy snacks for the mid-day hunger meltdown and keep them in a place where they can grab them easily by themselves. These two snack containers are perfect for big kids and little kids.
5. Educational Entertainment
- Prioritize apps and websites that are designed by educational experts or have received positive reviews from parents and educators.
- Look for apps and websites that offer interactive and engaging content, including games, quizzes, videos, and interactive lessons.
- Set screen time limits and establish a balanced approach by incorporating educational apps and websites into a diverse range of activities.
- Explore apps and websites that cover a variety of subjects, such as math, science, language, and reading, to provide a well-rounded learning experience.
- Encourage active participation and discussion by engaging with your child while they are using educational apps and websites, asking questions, and providing guidance.
- Supplement digital learning with offline activities and hands-on experiences to reinforce concepts and encourage a balanced learning approach.
Last but not least….ask for help to find a work-life as a working mom …we, moms are not meant to do this all alone. We need our village. If you don’t have one, try to create one.
