Helping Your Child Stay Motivated While Working Remotely

There are a lot of pros and cons involved with working remotely, especially as a mother or father. For many parents working remotely, the time they get to spend with their children is unparalleled, but with the added exposure to a parent, kids can become less interested in doing necessary things when mom or dad are on their computer, as they feel more ignored than they would if their parents were at the office. 

Finding the line to toe between enjoying the extra time and making sure your youngsters continue to develop positive behaviors when alone or accomplishing something independently can be difficult, and will vary from child to child. However, in any scenario, you’re going to have to help your child understand that remote work doesn’t mean you can hang out with them all day. Here are some tips on how to keep your kids motivated and active while you’re working in your home office. 

Be Very Clear

A good saying to get anyone to understand what working from home is, “’Work from home’ starts with work.” Explain to your children what you did before you began working from home, and it will be easier for them to understand what you are doing when you can’t give them attention even though you’re home. Let them know about why focus is important and even encourage them to practice improving their own focus. Most kids had some taste of online education during the pandemic, so they should have some understanding as to what is required to focus. But for younger kids it does take a bit more of an explanation. Explaining that any time you’re available during work hours should be treated as bonus time is a good way to get them to lose the expectation that you’re available whenever you’re home. 

Clarity should also be given regarding your schedule. If your kids can get used to you not being available to them at certain hours, they tend to do better in their own endeavors during that time. Sharing your goals and accomplishments from work can also be motivating for them to do the same to you (from school or whatever their focus may be). 

Reward Them

This is a pretty standard fare for any kind of childhood development. Rewarding kids makes them understand they are doing the right thing, and for the majority of their lives, hanging out with parents was not something they had to avoid. Any new behavior is difficult for kids, and rewarding them for this helps overcome that. Screen time for kids can cause lacks in focus, so limiting it is an easy way to help with focus issues, and using it as a reward can also help kids focus on whatever it is they need to achieve to get that screen time. 

Healthy Habits

You can help your kids stay motivated without even being in the room if you set them up the right way. As mentioned in the last paragraph, limiting screen time is one way to do this, so disabling TVs and devices is a great first step. Though things like coffee aren’t recommended for kids, other morning routines like a nice walk outside can help kids get in a positive mindset to take on their days, even if their day doesn’t involve much more than coloring! Healthy lunches with a lot of greens can help ensure the afternoon is just as productive as the morning was. 

Stay Fresh

Though the core workings of these tips should remain the same, be sure to mix things up and keep your child’s day-to-day activities fresh and fun. Repetition is good for things like studying, but when you simply want your child to stay busy while you work, make sure the type of busy varies from day-to-day.