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Subject Line: How to Manage your home office with CHILDREN
There are three GREAT rules for working at home with small children:
1. Schedule
2. Flexibility
3. Knowing when to use #1 or #2
SCHEDULE
A schedule is a very important task to establish. Children do very well with a routine! It is never too late to start a routine.
Establish snack time, lunch time, play time, nap time and keep to it so they are used to it at the same time everyday.
FLEXiBILITY
A schedule is important but knowing when to be flexibility is a talent in itself. Is your toddler pulling at your shirt as you read this article? STOP right now, pick him up and let him sit on your lap while you read on…
You must know when you need to just drop what you’re doing and sit down with him to do what he wants to do! Mine is watching the little paper clip guy in the corner of my word document right now.
TIPS
A good old-fashioned kitchen timer is a great friend. “You must play with this play dough for 15min then we will have snack time. So you let me know right away when you hear the bell.….. “ Even a toddler will learn the sense of time before too long.
TV Don’t use the TV as your everyday babysitter. Around our house we have never had cable and we live far enough away from civilization to only pick up a few staticy stations and only if you stand on one foot with your left hand in the air. There is nothing on TV that I would recommend to infants and todlers. Even Sat AM cartoons are just snotty teens in inappropriate mini skirts showing too much skin! Don’t get me wrong we have a huge collection of videos, from lassie to Little Bear. E-mail me if you’d like a list! Our kids love our collection. It’s all about what they’ve become used to. You can block out every channel accept discovery, animal planet or similar and your children WILL survive. In my opinion, I do not allow the kids to watch a lot of TV even with my hand picked videos. You’ve heard all the news too much TV is bad for you it causes ADD and ADHD blah blah blah. Has anyone ever told you why? Every thing is blamed on ADD these days. Here is my explanation. TV is stimulating to the brain! The color, the story, the action. Imagine the stimulus! Then when your child reaches school age the teacher seems well, just boring. So they are quick to call it ADD and put the child on meds. So it is a good idea to limit such stimulus. That includes computer time too.
Well, speaking of computer time consider a 2nd computer in your office for toddler educational games. Even a 2 year old can work the mouse.
A couple of web sites my boys love: www.starfall.com
www.BrainPop.com
Many items can be obtained from you local library and loaded on your computer. Our library will borrow an item from a nearby library if they do not have it. When it comes in I get an email and all I have to do is pick it up at the front desk. They even send me a notice when an item is due and I can renew the items online. Use your library! They have come a long way since the last time you’ve visited.
While you’re at it check out some toddler books on tape/cd. You may have to sit with your child the first few books to teach her how to listen for the prompt to turn the pages but she’ll catch on. Remember to laugh your silly head off on the funny parts. It will make you chuckle when you hear her from your office.
I think every computer comes with a generic paint shop program, which proves to be very entertaining!
Telephone calls. Seems impossible with a toddler around but there is hope and options:
Make calls while your toddler is napping or during that precious TV time.
Explain to your caller right away that you work out of your home office so apologize for any background noise. Even the most professional businessperson will understand!
Allow your children to have toys in your office or even in the doorway. Sometimes just being near you makes them happy. Place them on a blanket and let them know the boundaries of keeping their toys at bay.
Music CD’s: offer some head phones as a special treat and encourage singing out loud which helps you to know that they are still in the spot you last left them.
Has your child ever tossed the toy aside and played with the box instead!?
Give your child his own drawer in the kitchen, fill it with Tupperware lids, jar lids towels, potholders or other harmless items. This especially works well when preparing a meal.
If your toddler can be trusted with small objects try the change jar. Sorting and sifting is great fun! Or safe items from your “junk†drawer. It’s like a treasure to a child.
Introducing: www.thesmartzway.com
There are three GREAT rules for working at home with small children:
1. Schedule
2. Flexibility
3. Knowing when to use #1 or #2
SCHEDULE
A schedule is a very important task to establish. Children do very well with a routine! It is never too late to start a routine.
Establish snack time, lunch time, play time, nap time and keep to it so they are used to it at the same time everyday.
FLEXiBILITY
A schedule is important but knowing when to be flexibility is a talent in itself. Is your toddler pulling at your shirt as you read this article? STOP right now, pick him up and let him sit on your lap while you read on…
You must know when you need to just drop what you’re doing and sit down with him to do what he wants to do! Mine is watching the little paper clip guy in the corner of my word document right now.
TIPS
A good old-fashioned kitchen timer is a great friend. “You must play with this play dough for 15min then we will have snack time. So you let me know right away when you hear the bell.….. “ Even a toddler will learn the sense of time before too long.
TV Don’t use the TV as your everyday babysitter. Around our house we have never had cable and we live far enough away from civilization to only pick up a few staticy stations and only if you stand on one foot with your left hand in the air. There is nothing on TV that I would recommend to infants and todlers. Even Sat AM cartoons are just snotty teens in inappropriate mini skirts showing too much skin! Don’t get me wrong we have a huge collection of videos, from lassie to Little Bear. E-mail me if you’d like a list! Our kids love our collection. It’s all about what they’ve become used to. You can block out every channel accept discovery, animal planet or similar and your children WILL survive. In my opinion, I do not allow the kids to watch a lot of TV even with my hand picked videos. You’ve heard all the news too much TV is bad for you it causes ADD and ADHD blah blah blah. Has anyone ever told you why? Every thing is blamed on ADD these days. Here is my explanation. TV is stimulating to the brain! The color, the story, the action. Imagine the stimulus! Then when your child reaches school age the teacher seems well, just boring. So they are quick to call it ADD and put the child on meds. So it is a good idea to limit such stimulus. That includes computer time too.
Well, speaking of computer time consider a 2nd computer in your office for toddler educational games. Even a 2 year old can work the mouse.
A couple of web sites my boys love: www.starfall.com
www.BrainPop.com
Many items can be obtained from you local library and loaded on your computer. Our library will borrow an item from a nearby library if they do not have it. When it comes in I get an email and all I have to do is pick it up at the front desk. They even send me a notice when an item is due and I can renew the items online. Use your library! They have come a long way since the last time you’ve visited.
While you’re at it check out some toddler books on tape/cd. You may have to sit with your child the first few books to teach her how to listen for the prompt to turn the pages but she’ll catch on. Remember to laugh your silly head off on the funny parts. It will make you chuckle when you hear her from your office.
I think every computer comes with a generic paint shop program, which proves to be very entertaining!
Telephone calls. Seems impossible with a toddler around but there is hope and options:
Make calls while your toddler is napping or during that precious TV time.
Explain to your caller right away that you work out of your home office so apologize for any background noise. Even the most professional businessperson will understand!
Allow your children to have toys in your office or even in the doorway. Sometimes just being near you makes them happy. Place them on a blanket and let them know the boundaries of keeping their toys at bay.
Music CD’s: offer some head phones as a special treat and encourage singing out loud which helps you to know that they are still in the spot you last left them.
Has your child ever tossed the toy aside and played with the box instead!?
Give your child his own drawer in the kitchen, fill it with Tupperware lids, jar lids towels, potholders or other harmless items. This especially works well when preparing a meal.
If your toddler can be trusted with small objects try the change jar. Sorting and sifting is great fun! Or safe items from your “junk†drawer. It’s like a treasure to a child.
Introducing: www.thesmartzway.com
