Summer Activities for Your Children While You Work from Home

Having your children home from school for the summer can create havoc for your work schedule.  While you may be happy to have your children with you all day long, finding time to squeeze in work can be difficult, especially if you're used to having the whole school day to work while they are in school.

The key to giving the kids a good summer and maintaining your own schedule is to find activities to keep the kids busy but entertained.  Consider some of these suggestions:

For Preschoolers

Dress up box:  Preschoolers love to play dress up.  Have a chest filled with fun clothes for the kids to wear while playing.

Crafts:  Have a space where kids can create crafts.  You may have to sit nearby while working in case they run into any difficulties or to prevent messes.

Activity boxes:  Set aside 5 or 6 plastic tubs filled with different activities the kids can do on their own.  Each day, take out a different box.  The key is to make the boxes accessible only when you're working, not throughout the day.

For Early Elementary Age

Board games:  Some kids can play board games for hours, quite content and happy without parental interference.  If your kids are like this, stock up on board games so they have a variety to choose from.

Play outside:  If you live in a place where you feel comfortable letting the kids play outside, by all means, do so.  Take your laptop outside so you can enjoy the fresh air and keep an eye on the kids.

For Late Elementary Age

Chores:  Kids this age appreciate the value of money.  You might consider giving a list of special chores kids can do to earn some extra money.  You'll have some time to work AND enjoy a cleaner house.  The kids will enjoy the extra spending money.

Online educational activities:  Let the kids use an online educational activity to limit summer slide.  Some of our favorites are XtraMath (for older kids) and ABCMouse.com (for younger kids).  We also recommend Khan Academy!

Reading:  Take plenty of trips to the library and let the kids get lost in a book.

What are your favorite ways to keep the kids occupied while you work from home?