Taylor J. Kovar – CEO/Founder, Kovar Wealth Management

–Hey Taylor – I feel like this happens every Fall—the kids go back to school but then I forget that I need to somehow keep them occupied in the afternoons while I finish working. Any tips for a working mom and mother of three?

 

–Hey Melissa – I totally empathize. The time between drop off and pick up on those first few school days always flies by well before I can get all my work in. Suddenly the kids are back home and need entertainment, and parents can’t always provide it.

I try to be with my kids a few days a week after school, but it’s still a good time to teach independent play. Depending on their ages, you can either prep activities or make this a time for your children to be productive.

  1. Activities. If I’m feeling industrious, it’s always fun to put half an hour into setting something up that the kids are excited to come home to. You can do it the night before, on a lunch break, whenever you feel like you can afford a few minutes of setup. Things that have worked for us in the past include scavenger hunts, inventing a new board game, playing in a fort, or some kind of baking/cooking exercise. A scavenger/treasure hunt can be a great way to keep the kids occupied and searching through the house for things you’ve hidden, maybe with a small prize at the end to keep them interested. If you have kids that love drawing and creating, turning a piece of poster board into a board game might take them an entire afternoon. It depends on the kid, but a little prep will buy you a lot more time than just begging the kids to go play outside.
  2. Productivity. As kids get older, I think it’s really valuable to teach them to get stuff done as soon as they get home so they have the rest of the day to enjoy themselves. We all know the joys and perils of procrastination; when you learn to tackle chores instead of putting them off, you end up with more time for yourself. We encourage our three kids to help around the house because we’re all part of Team Kovar, and when they get stuff done before I come home from work, it’s a lot easier for us to go straight to playing. Are they productive every afternoon after school? No ma’am. But they’re getting better at understanding the “work hard, play more” mentality with each passing year.

 

Afternoons can be a really tough stretch of time for working parents, and I don’t envy the juggling act you have to do. Hopefully you can balance fun activities with teachable moments and you and your family will have a successful and productive school year. Good luck, Melissa!