How To Keep Your Kids Busy While You‘re Working From Home During The School Holidays

Many parents are still working from home due to COVID restrictions, and with school holidays coming up, parents will be facing the challenge of how to keep their kids entertained while they work.

But this doesn’t mean children need to be stuck in front of the telly or playing video games all day.

Here are some boredom busting ideas on how to keep them occupied while keeping up their education and having some fun at the same time.

COVID-safe holiday camps at home

To help take the pressure off parents and give kids some facetime with their friends, Australian children’s activities company Skills and Thrills is introducing new Home Camps. The service allows parents to ‘host’ a few of their children’s closest friends with holiday camps in the comfort and safety of their home.

The activity providers will visit the home with all their equipment and run the camp, keeping the kids entertained for a full day, so that parents can be working from home without interrption. There are a wide variety of activities available, with everything from coding to chess to robotics to art and science – run by industry-leading providers. The children can take turns going to each other’s homes so that all the parents can take a break.

Write letters to loved ones

It may still not be totally safe (or even possible) to visit our loved ones, particularly when it comes to grandparents. You can keep your kids connected to friends and family they aren’t able to see by encouraging them to write letters. This is a great way for them to channel their creativity, as well as keeping them busy for a couple of hours. You can then take them to the post office and teach them how the postal process works. As a bonus, it will be a nice surprise for friends and family when they receive a letter from your child in the mail.

Get outside, if you can

With winter behind us and the weather warming up, it’s the perfect time for the kids to be running around in the sunshine. To keep them busy for a few hours, create a scavenger hunt, treasure hunt, or an obstacle course in the backyard for the kids to complete. If your children are too young to play outside unsupervised, use the opportunity to take your laptop outside and soak up some Vitamin-D yourself. You can even join them for a game of hide and seek when you’re taking a break to stretch your legs and get some exercise.

Online classes so the kids continue to learn

Just because it’s the holidays doesn’t mean kids can’t keep learning. For something fun and educational for them to get into, there are now online classes available to be done remotely. Unlike traditional e-learning, the programs are live-streamed with tutors who run each workshop and interact via video and online chat with the kids at home. Activities are all skills-based and engaging, for example, they have a Kitchen Chemistry workshop, where kids follow along to make lava lamps and bubbling volcanoes using ingredients found at home. There is a range of classes from science to coding, to fitness, for kids aged from 5-12 years old, so there’s something for every child. Class sizes are kept small so that the kids have a fully interactive experience.

Assign them ‘work’ to do

Younger kids often love to help around the house when given the chance, and while you’re working it helps them feel important if they also have “work” to do. Give them easy tasks to do such as cleaning their room or dusting (which kids seem to love!). A couple of other personal favourites are folding laundry and getting kids to match the lids to the Tupperware. Even if they don’t do a great job, at least they will be kept busy and happy while they clean.

Are you still working from home? How are you planning to keep the kids busy during the holidays? Tell us in the comments below.

25 Comments

- - mom486197 said
  - 31 Aug 2024
    9:51 am
I will be trialing this for the upcoming holidays but it isn’t as easy as finding them something to do, they want you to play too so it is finding the right balance for both.

- - meedee said
  - 04 Dec 2023
    1:39 pm
Im glad i didnt have to worry about this

- - ashna9 said
  - 01 Nov 2020
    9:51 pm
Covid is a time to not be precious about technology. Let them on it!

- - mom322089 said
  - 19 Oct 2020
    11:58 am
different things for different age ranges and independence. Have done time trials and relay races to get job done – the kids love a bit of competition.

- - Kylie said
  - 19 Oct 2020
    3:31 am
Some good ideas here. It’s impossible to work all day with ‘normal’ work hours and kids in the house though. They always seem to want you.

- - Frankiielot said
  - 18 Oct 2020
    8:29 pm
I’m still working from home. My bub is only one so it’s a bit hard to leave her unsupervised.
I usually have the tellie on for background noise while I set up a mess mat and she finger paints on large pieces of paper. Sometimes she draws and other times i bring out all my non breakable baking stuff and she pretends to bake by rolling the pin and popping the tray in her play oven.

- - mom460689 said
  - 07 Oct 2020
    9:57 pm
Thats a great idea with the home camps. I also get the kids outside to do rollerskating or playing with the dog.

- - tessie said
  - 05 Oct 2020
    1:33 pm
These are some great ideas to keep the kids entertained.

- - Lovesthecuddles said
  - 01 Oct 2020
    6:49 pm
I don’t work from home but my mum looks after my nieces and nephew so my brother can work with all this school at home.

- - mom101628 said
  - 30 Sep 2020
    11:38 pm
Great ideas to keep children ‘busy’. Thanks for sharing these tips.

- - ~Loui~ said
  - 30 Sep 2020
    10:26 pm
These are great ideas. We’ve been indulging in more playtime and less work.

- - shanika said
  - 30 Sep 2020
    8:50 pm
Not easy task to do.Thank you for suggestions.

- - mom343701 said
  - 28 Sep 2020
    6:15 am
walking, doing adventure games outside, puzzles and diamond art! we love these

- - mom93821 said
  - 26 Sep 2020
    5:49 am
Outside time is so good for everyone and it reenergises everyone.
- Ellen replied
  
  01 Oct 2020 , 3:55 pm
  Definitely ! Luckily we have a good garden with swings, trampolines, baseball court and balance beam, but parks and playgrounds are even better. Not to forget about a bushwalk !
- - mom265671 said
  - 25 Sep 2020
    11:26 pm
Outside does wonders for everyone in my family
- mom93821 replied
  
  28 Sep 2020 , 5:22 am
  I agree! There are so many benefits to spending time outside, the list of good things from being outside is endless.
- - ashna9 said
  - 25 Sep 2020
    4:21 pm
Free reign on the technology. This is not the year to be precious about how much kids use their ipads or the tv.

- - Blessed said
  - 25 Sep 2020
    7:27 am
I’d have to take time off work to care for them anyway

- - Jbuttxx said
  - 25 Sep 2020
    6:21 am
Still waiting for that mice weather to help out in the final week

- - Ellen said
  - 25 Sep 2020
    4:48 am
Thanks for sharing. With already nearly 1 week of holiday behind us it’s going pretty well. Our kids are having fun and that’s the main thing.
- Ellen replied
  
  27 Sep 2020 , 3:41 am
  Btw I do not work from home
- - mom265671 said
  - 24 Sep 2020
    11:11 pm
Hoping the weather warms up. My kids would love the outdoors

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Article How To Keep Your Kids Busy While You‘re Working From Home During The School Holidays