As a mom of five kids who has worked from home for more than 14 years, you could say I know a thing or two about keeping kids occupied to get tasks accomplished. When naptimes are no more (a sad day indeed), staying on task with kids underfoot can be much more complicated.
It’s not always easy, but here are some go-to quiet-time hacks I have used to keep my kids occupied while I work. Believe me when I say I have tried them all, so these are the ones that have worked best for me.
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Make Fun With a Box and Markers
I will shout this “hack” from the mountains because it has been my tried-and-true go-to activity when I need a few minutes to get something done. Keep a cardboard box from your next Amazon delivery — the bigger, the better — and throw your kid in there with some crayons, markers, or stickers, and let them go to town decorating it. You can even challenge them to make the box into a spaceship, a bus, or an ice cream truck to see what they come up with.
I don’t know what it is about a box that just ignites a child’s imagination, but it has never failed to delight my children. No matter how many shiny, new, or high-tech toys we have in our house, the box-and-markers has always been the bigger draw. And a bonus with the box hack? The child is safely contained. (For now, anyway.)
Start a Scavenger Hunt
I learned this hack from my children’s librarian, who sets up a simple scavenger hunt each month in her department — the kids go crazy for it, and I have personally seen it keep even older children occupied for a full hour or more. If you have a few minutes, you can print out different themed objects, like flowers, animals, trucks, cut them out, and “hide” them around the house.
Then, print out all the objects grouped on one page, slide it in a sheet protector, and clip it to a clipboard. Hand your child the clipboard and a dry-erase marker and tell them to mark off each item on the hunt. If you don’t have time to make a custom scavenger hunt, I’ve printed free hunts off that list of common household objects instead to make it very easy. You can also tailor the hunt’s difficulty based on your child’s age, or even enlist older siblings to make the scavenger hunt for a younger sibling to keep all ages occupied together!
Color a Tablecloth Map
This one does cost a few dollars, but I am recommending it because I first bought this tablecloth map in 2020, during the pandemic, and I am not exaggerating at all when I say we have gotten a full six years of use out of it. I kept the tablecloth in a small plastic bin with the included markers and pulled it out for the kids to color in small bursts at a time. They loved it, and it worked perfectly to keep it as a special activity.
We only finished it a few months ago, so it’s been well worth the investment as an ideal quiet time hack. Plus, they can use the tablecloth when you’re done, and it’s reusable and washable. If you don’t have the budget for a tablecloth map, you could recreate the experience with large coloring sheets, print out colorable maps online, or ask your local printer for the ends of their printing sheets for extra-large coloring fun.
Lean on Legos
Legos are the secret parenting hack that has saved me on more than one occasion. Obviously, you need to choose Legos that are age-appropriate for your child, and supervision for younger kids may need to be in place, but nothing — and I mean, nothing — has engaged all five of my children as much as Legos have.
There have been times in the summer months when all five of them disappeared for hours on end, building elaborate Lego villages and homes and neighborhoods, and aside from the sheer amount of work I was able to get done, I was also deeply impressed by the caliber of their skills. Honestly, at the prices we are at these days, some of their homes were downright tempting to move into.
Water Play is Always a Win
When in doubt, go with water play. If you have younger toddlers, pick up a water table, and if you have older kids, get a fun sprinkler. I loved water tables for my toddlers because it was much less work than hauling them to a pool, and I could safely let them play next to me (always within arm’s reach and never unattended, of course!) while I made calls, did a little bit of work, or even just enjoyed a cup of coffee.
I have very fond memories of passing long summer hours as my kids played with the water table. And again, if you’re short on funds, a simple bucket, bowl, and measuring cups will entertain them just as long, I promise.
