Insights from VITAL WorkLife

How to Keep Your Kids Occupied While Working From Home

Written by Adam Frei, MS, LPC, CEAP | March 25, 2020

Over the past few weeks, we have had to entirely reimagine what are lives look like in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. At VITAL WorkLife we are all discussing new and creative ways that our employees are continuing to support the needs of our families and the needs of the organizations we support.

As a parent, working from home while having children in the house may be difficult. Here are some creative tips to help keep your child engaged and actively learning while you work.

Tips to keep your kids busy

  • Establish a daily schedule – kids are used to having lots of structure in their day. If you can, have them help set their own schedule, to help establish motivation and be more invested. Schedule time for:
    • Reading
    • Arts and crafts
    • Workbooks
    • Screen time
    • Exercise
  • Live streaming events – numerous streaming platforms are connecting with museums, zoos and artists to provide live streaming events that your kids can watch and interact with. Some streaming platforms to look into: Facebook Live, YouTube Live and Twitch.
  • Be flexible with your worktime when possible. If you can work more after your kids go to bed, save focused work for then.
  • If you and your partner are both working from home, take turns with who is taking care of the kids.
  • Try and keep a sense of humor. No one is judging you if your kids are being kids while you’re on a conference call.

Additional Resources

Below you will find other links for online learning resources to help keep children engaged:

We Can Help

If you’re in need of support or additional resources contact VITAL WorkLife at 800.383.1908 (EAP members) or 877.731.3949 (Physician Well Being Resources members), or visit our website at VITALWorkLife.com. For COVID-19 resources click here.