Sparkplugging is starting a new tradition called ‘Spark an Idea Thursday’. Each week we’ll be sharing some great ideas for a topic of interest to our readers.� We invite you to grab our image and carry the tradition through to your own blog!� If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!
This week�s Spark an Idea deals with Entertaining the Kids while you Work.
Today I wanted to touch on entertaining older kids.� You can find a plethora of ideas out there on how to work while having babies and toddlers in tow, yet we tend to think that once the kids are older and more self sufficient, they won�t need as much entertainment.
I disagree that they won�t need as much entertaining but rather they need a different type of entertaining.� At this age, idleness can sometimes lead to poor choices. One idea that works well during summer months when my preteen and teenager are home is bartering.
Barter time. You can set up a checkbook, spreadsheet or a whiteboard to keep track of time.� Example if you would like to have three (3) solid hours of uninterrupted work time during the day, you could either task your kiddos to do their own work (cleaning their room is always a biggie) or merely to entertain themselves with a book or playing outside for three hours.� Then you have three hours banked.
You gave me three hours to get done what I needed to and now we have three hours that we can do something together. If you are thinking that your teenager may not want to spend time with the old parents then perhaps the time earned could be spent running Mom�s Taxi. (I�ll drive you and your friend to a movie and then pick you up a few hours later).
This time barter idea of entertaining the kids while you work benefits us for so many reasons:
- It teaches the kids the value of time management
- It teaches the kids that while it may be summer vacation for them, work at home parents still need to work
- It teaches my children about a form of commerce � bartering
- It forces my girls to be creative � they are responsible to coming up with something productive to do while I am working
- It gives them freedom to choose our together activities, thus taking the onus off of me to entertain them.
Let’s keep the ideas going, I know for a fact that these cool bloggers can spark a few fresh ideas for us so I’m tagging them to invite them to jump in!
FREE 21-Page Internet Business Idea Guide
Enter your name and email below and we’ll send you our unique 21-page guide chock full of Internet business ideas – for free! Your information will be kept private, of course.
Leslie Truex is the pajama-clad work-at-home mom dedicated to helping other moms live and work comfortably. She's the author of The Work-At-Home Success Bible and owner of 
Laurie Ayers is a WAHM from Michigan and a Star Director with 
Hi Leslie! I’m keeping the barter idea in my back pocket for when my daughter is a little older. Great Post!
Jenns last blog post..What To Sell In May On eBay!
Since I was ‘called out’ by Laurie…here’s my input…
My kids are grown, one still needs supervison…one’s pretty much on his own.
I am no longer the entertainment committee unless of course I want to go hit the beach or the park, then no prob!
My daughter knows that I have to work and get things done so she finds things to keep her occupied while I do my work. In fact, she’s starting her own photography biz at age of 13 so while I work she has opportunity to do things for her own business.
She also knows that when ‘work’ is over..it’s time for fun fun fun!
Of course I’m not good at ’structure’ so personally, I prefer getting work done early in morning & late night so we can “play” during the day!
So, basically my ‘entertainment’ days are over and she can keep herself busy for a few hours and then off for fun we go!
What a great idea, Leslie. I agree, there seem to be lots of ideas out there for younger kids, but my boys are older and I struggle with this, especially in the Summer.
What I did last Summer that worked great was to post my work schedule on the refrigerator and let them know they had my permission to tell me to stop working if I was in my office outside of those hours. And I made it a point to do something fun with them (even if it was just playing basketball in the back yard) every day.
Julie Anne Joness last blog post..The Question That Could Change Your Business…
Just stopping by from another blog. Gotta say I’m enjoying my stay here. Got a lot of nice content to check out. Before I go I’d like to invite you for a visit to my site. Hope to see you there.
Jennys last blog post..MomDot Blog Party
Just want to clarify that this great post was by Laurie. And I agree; there is lots of attention paid to dealing with little kids while working at home, but not with older kids. One would think its easier with older kids, but that’s not necessarily true. While they can entertain themselves some, they still want your attention and need your help (or intervention). My method is to work a few hours and then take a break with them, work a few hours and take a break. Some days I ask for 3-4 hours of work and then we take the rest of the day off. My rule is don’t interrupt unless their is fire, blood or loss of consciousness.
Also, I have my kids take on projects during the summer. It can be anything they want as long as it doesn’t requires a lot of supervision. They have planted gardens, learned to make candy, and created art projects or games.
This year my son starts his first job, so now I just have my daughter to worry about. I’m thinking hiring her to help me in the office.
Leslie Truexs last blog post..How to Choose a Profitable Affiliate Program