Work at Home With Your Child
How Your Kids Can Help Your Work at Home
When working from home, you can use all the help you can get, right? So let the kids help out with your job or business wherever possible. It can take a little planning and strategizing on your part, but children can be very enthusiastic helpers—possibly too enthusiastic at times. And it won’t always be easy to incorporate their help into your routine, but as parents we are always looking for ways to teach our kids the skills they need before we send them out in the world and to give them a sense of responsibility.
So take this opportunity when they are young and want to help.
Help from children won't always be a time saver in the short-term (usually you can do it faster yourself), but in the long run involving children will help them understand your work-at-home ground rules and generally feel more positive toward your work, especially if you reward them in some way for their help.
Not everything you might have the kids do will be truly useful to you, but these jobs can teach a skill, make kids feel needed and keep them busy.
First Task for Kids
Also see:
Filing, Sorting and Organizing
From preschool on up, these is a task that can be scaled to an age-appropriate level. Young kids can sort office supplies; older ones can do inventory. Even if you don't really want your office reorganized, letting them reorganize a corner of your office can keep them busy and engaged. And sometimes kids have good organizing ideas too. If you work in a field where privacy is important, then you probably don't want the kids doing your filing.
But kids old enough to read can help you work through some of those non-private piles of paper. Put them to work shredding old documents too. Kids can also organize your computer files, dragging and dropping pictures and other files.
Next Task Kids Can Do
Cleaning
Little ones will think this is fun more than bigger kids. Dusting, sweeping, wiping down surfaces and other small cleaning jobs will keep kids busy and your office clean. It’s really more a way of having the kids with you in your office and busy while you work, but it probably won’t last long!
Next "Job" Your Kids Can Do
Have the older kids watch the younger ones. If you're home, then a "babysitter" can be a young tween. They will gain valuable skills and confidence from the experience. Reading books to younger kids or playing games can be fun as well. Be sure to reward them for their work or it will become a negative.
Next
Of course, this depends on your business, but I have found ways for my kids to help. I've published my oldest child's photos and had her do simple coding. I have had my son read through content looking for errors and duplications. Mostly I have had them do tasks that I know are worthwhile to improving my productivity in the long run but not good for it in the short run. I paid them for their efforts and both of us were happy
When working from home, you can use all the help you can get, right? So let the kids help out with your job or business wherever possible. It can take a little planning and strategizing on your part, but children can be very enthusiastic helpers—possibly too enthusiastic at times. And it won’t always be easy to incorporate their help into your routine, but as parents we are always looking for ways to teach our kids the skills they need before we send them out in the world and to give them a sense of responsibility.
So take this opportunity when they are young and want to help.
Help from children won't always be a time saver in the short-term (usually you can do it faster yourself), but in the long run involving children will help them understand your work-at-home ground rules and generally feel more positive toward your work, especially if you reward them in some way for their help.
Not everything you might have the kids do will be truly useful to you, but these jobs can teach a skill, make kids feel needed and keep them busy.
First Task for Kids
Also see:
Filing, Sorting and Organizing
From preschool on up, these is a task that can be scaled to an age-appropriate level. Young kids can sort office supplies; older ones can do inventory. Even if you don't really want your office reorganized, letting them reorganize a corner of your office can keep them busy and engaged. And sometimes kids have good organizing ideas too. If you work in a field where privacy is important, then you probably don't want the kids doing your filing.
But kids old enough to read can help you work through some of those non-private piles of paper. Put them to work shredding old documents too. Kids can also organize your computer files, dragging and dropping pictures and other files.
Next Task Kids Can Do
Cleaning
Little ones will think this is fun more than bigger kids. Dusting, sweeping, wiping down surfaces and other small cleaning jobs will keep kids busy and your office clean. It’s really more a way of having the kids with you in your office and busy while you work, but it probably won’t last long!
Next "Job" Your Kids Can Do
Have the older kids watch the younger ones. If you're home, then a "babysitter" can be a young tween. They will gain valuable skills and confidence from the experience. Reading books to younger kids or playing games can be fun as well. Be sure to reward them for their work or it will become a negative.
Next
Of course, this depends on your business, but I have found ways for my kids to help. I've published my oldest child's photos and had her do simple coding. I have had my son read through content looking for errors and duplications. Mostly I have had them do tasks that I know are worthwhile to improving my productivity in the long run but not good for it in the short run. I paid them for their efforts and both of us were happy
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