Hey parents - how are y’all holding up?
I know from experience that working from home with kids is no joke.
Between restarting Frozen 2 for the hundredth time and apologizing for the little yells
in the background of your video conference, you’ve probably wondered what else you can
possibly do to keep the kids distracted while you get work done.
That’s why our AppSumo parents got together and created a resource filled with everything
from academic worksheets to aquarium live streams to keep those tiny hands busy.
And today I want to dive into six of those hot tips to help you survive that work from
home with the kids by your side.
First things first: you’ve got to establish a routine.
You’ve probably heard this advice a dozen times, but for good reason.
Kids *thrive* on routine.
They’re probably accustomed to a bell schedule and sleeping at specific times - so hold them
to that the best you can.
But don’t sacrifice your own self-care routines.
You’ll do your best work for your job and for your children if you are first and foremost
taking care of yourself.
We are experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime crisis -- be kind to yourself, moisturize your face
and hands, and don’t go too many days between showers.
Alright, let’s dig into how to fill those school days.
Tip #2: Play teacher.
I know this sounds impossible with your workload, but hear me out.
The goal here is to find activities to keep your kids busy and fill up a full school day
without teaching the lessons yourself.
Luckily, there are educational marketplaces, like Teachers Pay Teachers and Scholastic,
that provide printable, teacher-made activities and projects at no cost.
You’ve also got BrainPOP.
which offers engaging games and animated movies across subjects, and Duolingo ABC offers more
than 300 entertaining English lessons for little ones.
And of course, we wouldn’t be AppSumo if we didn’t recommend engineering courses.
It’s never too early to learn how to code :). Plus, basic programming skills will refine
your kid’s creativity, logic, and problem-solving skills.
We’ve compiled quite a few resources on our blog, which I’ll link down in the bio,
but here are just a few:
Swift Playgrounds is designed by Apple, and it’s a fun and interactive way to teach
kids to program Swift code through fun challenges and puzzles.
On a similar wavelength, CodeCombat teaches programming languages in a fun adventure game,
and Tynkr, a leading source for fun coding courses, games, and apps, is offering free
coding activities.
Finally, Khan Academy is an award-winning educational nonprofit that offers a
robust computer programming course complete with challenges, projects, and an embedded
coding editor right on their site!
And when the educational resources run out…
Tip #3: Take a virtual field trip!
From virtual tours of renowned museums and heritage sites, to animal sanctuaries and
aquariums with live webcams, you can bring the outside, inside, and even travel around
the world.
Or out of this world: with Access Mars, a WebVR experience, you can explore the surface
of Mars on the Curiosity rover.
Way cooler than the field trips they’re used to, don’t ya think?
Tip #4: Get them moving!
I do not have to tell you how much energy kids have, so let me just tell you how they
can get it out.
Cosmic Kids Yoga combines yoga with kids’ favorite stories, like Pokemon and Moana and
Harry Potter.
And PE with Joe features a very enthusiastic and professional fitness instructor who leads
workout classes for kids.
For a more crafty approach, create a scavenger hunt using items they can find around the
house.
Pro-tip: come up with a prize to boost motivation.
Once you’ve worn them down, tip #5: Introduce them to podcasts.
One of the best brain-healthy ways to score yourself some quiet time is to get your kids
listening to podcasts.
And there are options for all of their interests!
For the storyteller, check out Storynory that shares fairy tales, myths, poems, and more.
For the history buff, try Forever ago, and for the mini scientist, go with Wow in the World.
Once you’ve got them hooked, podcasts are an easy -- and pretty silent -- way to keep
your kids entertained and educated.
And when all else fails (or even before all else fails): tip #6: Let them have screen time.
I know I get some of my most focused work done when my kids are engaged with a screen
-- and if that’s true for you too, there’s no shame in it!
Fortunately, there are boatloads of choices for educational television, you can scroll
through them for hours.
We would never make you do that, though - so we’ve prepped a full list of programming
options for you, broken down by age, to guarantee guilt-free Netflix binging.
Just check out the link in the description!
Sumo-lings, I know it’s not easy to run a business when your kids are running through it.
Let us know in the comments how these tips work for you, and we’d love to hear any
pointers you’ve you’ve picked up over the last few weeks.
Stay safe, and remember you’ve got this.