Working At Home with Kids During the Summer

Once my kids were in school, I thought it was wonderful to have 7 hours of uninterrupted time to focus on my work. Even better, when they were home after school, I was able to focus on them because my work was done. But summer and holidays are challenges when the kids are home and wanting to spend time with me.

Whether your kids are underfoot just for the summer or whether they are home full-time, working at home and parenting at the same time is challenging. Here are some tips that can help you manage work and family time.

Younger Kids:

If you’re kids are not in school, they need much more attention and supervision than older children. Its very difficult to focus on a work-at-home job or business while making macaroni and cheese or between showings of Dora the Explorer.  While you can take advantage of nap time and bed time, unless you can really live on just a few hours of sleep, it can be difficult to have the focus and energy needed to make money at home with a hour in the afternoon and a few hours in the middle of the night.

Options:

1) Pre-school programs provide fun and social stimulation that kids love while giving you a few hours of free time. I would drop my kids off, go to a local wi-fi cafe to work and pick them up again a few hours later (and a few buck richer).

2) Start or find a kid care co-op. This is run by moms all of whom take turns watching the kids. When its not your turn to provide care, you have free child care for a few hours.

3) Hire a student or retired person to watch your kids while you work. This works best if your office is away from your kids’ main activities in the house. You are home, but you don’t have to have one eye and ear on the kids while also trying to work.

School Age Kids

While kids are in school, you have a day to get lots done. I love that! But during breaks and holidays, the kids often want you to be on a break too. Because older kids can entertain themselves for a short time, you can get some work done, but usually only in hour or two spurts.

Options:

1) Summer programs offer the kids fun and educational opportunities while giving you time to work. Programs can be half or full day and come in a variety of activities. Even in my small rural area we’ve got day camps, trips to amusement parks, sports camp, outdoor trips, library reading programs, and more.

2) Summer activities. I have my kids choose activities that don’t require supervision that they can do at home. They have planted flower gardens, learned to bake, created art projects, read, and more.

3) Hyper-schedule the day. My kids are good about entertaining themselves first thing in the morning, but after a couple of hours they are wanting me to do something with them. My answer is to work in short shifts. I work about 2 hours in the morning, and then take a break to play a game or spend time with them. Then I work another couple of hours and break again usually to take them to the pool. This schedule means I often have to work some in the evening, but by then my husband is home and he can spend time with them.

4) Hire a student to be an older buddy. Teenagers can take the kids to the pool, play games, and be a great buddy to your kids while you work.