Hey everyone, So I work from home and my kids are absolute chaos agents 
The second I hop on a call, it’s like they have a sixth sense for it and suddenly EVERYTHING is urgent. How do you all keep them busy and actually get stuff done? Any tips? I’m losing my mind here
Oh man, where do I even start.. My 6-year-old once walked into my Zoom meeting holding a toilet plunger like a trophy. My entire team saw it. My boss included. So yeah, I feel you deeply, LogicXWave.
What actually worked for me was setting up a ‘work box’ just a box with activities she only gets during my work hours. Kinetic sand, a small puzzle, those water coloring books. The novelty keeps them busy for at least 30-40 minutes and that’s usually enough for one focused session.
The key is they only see this box when you’re working. The moment it’s an everyday thing, it loses its magic completely.
Okay I’m going to be the slightly blunt one here, have you tried just… telling them? Like actually sitting down and explaining that when the door is closed or you have headphones on, that’s work time?
I know it sounds too simple but my 8-year-old genuinely understood when I said ‘every time you interrupt me during a call, it makes my boss think I’m not good at my job.’ Kids understand consequences when you explain it at their level.
Also ShredRed that plunger story is sending me.. your kid has RANGE
I’ve been working from home for 6 years now and let me tell you, the first two years were a disaster. My twins treated my office like a bounce house. Then I started doing what I call ‘earned screen time.’
Basically, they get 20 minutes of tablet time for every 45 minutes they give me uninterrupted. We have a little chart on the fridge. They color in a box every time they stay quiet during my focus blocks. When they fill a row, they pick a fun activity for the weekend.
It sounds like a lot of setup but honestly it took maybe 15 minutes to make and it’s been running on autopilot for two years. Kids love earning things way more than just being given them 
Not to be that person but… can we talk about how wild it is that working parents basically have to build entire behavior management systems just to send one email in peace 
The audacity of a 4-year-old bursting in to tell you their sock feels weird while you’re mid-presentation is something else.
But genuinely, snack timing. My husband and I figured out that right after lunch, our daughter is in a total food coma and that’s the golden window. She’ll sit and watch one show or flip through books without a peep. We schedule every important call for 1-1:30pm. It’s not a long window but it’s RELIABLE.
Also @BoomerRing that chart idea is genius I’m stealing it 
What worked for our house was giving the kids their own ‘work’ to do at the same time
I got my 7-year-old a little clipboard with ‘tasks’ draw a picture of our house, write the names of 5 animals, count how many blue things are in the living room. Stuff like that. When I sit down to work, she sits down with her clipboard and we’re both ‘at work.’
She takes it SO seriously Sometimes she’ll even shush ME if I make noise. The role-playing element is huge for kids that age. They just want to feel included in what you’re doing, not shut out from it.
Okay real talk, I tried everything and my son (5) was still impossible until I realized the problem wasn’t the activities, it was the transitions.
He never knew WHEN work time was starting, so he’d be mid-play and I’d suddenly disappear behind a screen. That felt like rejection to him. Now I do a little 5-minute ‘work is starting’ ritual. We set a visual timer together, I give him a big hug, we pick his activity, and THEN I sit down.
The transition itself was the missing piece. He needed time to mentally shift. Night and day difference, no joke
Also @SolidLibra your daughter shushing you is the best thing I’ve heard all week.
I work in tech and do a lot of deep focus work so interruptions are really costly for me. What I landed on was essentially noise-canceling headphones + a visual signal system.
Red sticky note on my monitor = do not enter unless bleeding or fire 
Yellow sticky = come knock first 
Green = open door, talk freely 
My kids (7 and 9) picked this up in literally two days. The visual cue removes the guessing for them — they’re not trying to read my mood or figure out if I’m busy, they just look at the color. Works even when I forget to brief them beforehand.
Bonus: it also works for my partner who sometimes forgets I’m on a call
Hot take: the funniest part of working from home with kids is when you THINK you’ve solved it and then they find a loophole
I had the perfect system going, activity bin, timer, snack ready. Everything was set. My 6-year-old decided the loophole was asking me questions through the door by sliding notes underneath it. I’d be on a call and little folded papers would appear. ‘Can I have juice.’ ‘Where is my green crayon.’ ‘Is a shark a fish.’
At this point I just accept that my coworkers know I have kids. They’ve all met them via accidental Zoom appearances anyway. We’re one big weird extended family at this point.
But @kodevortex the sticky note system is actually really smart, I’m implementing that tomorrow
Something nobody talks about enough: adjust your OWN schedule first before trying to change theirs 
I spent months trying to force my toddler to fit around my 9-5. Then I accepted that toddlers are basically tiny chaos deities and I started front-loading my hardest work at 5:30am before anyone woke up, and again at nap time.
Now my ‘work hours’ look nothing like a normal workday but my output is actually better. I do 90 minutes of focused work in the early morning, lighter stuff during the day, and catch up in the evening. Total game changer.
I know not everyone has flexibility but if you do — matching your schedule to THEIR natural rhythms instead of the other way around is so much easier than fighting it every day 
I’m going to come in with something slightly practical. have you looked into kids’ educational apps that are genuinely engaging? Not just YouTube, but actual apps with missions, progress, and rewards built in?
My 8-year-old gets so absorbed in certain apps that I have to call him for dinner three times. I use that. I specifically save those apps for my deepest work blocks so they still feel special and not just background noise.
The difference between a truly engaging app and a passive video is HUGE in terms of how long they’ll stay put. Passive watching they drift off in 20 minutes. Interactive stuff with goals? Easy 45 minutes.
Also @VoterMobile the 5:30am gang is real, early morning silence is undefeated.
Reading this whole thread and relating to every single word
For us the biggest shift was the weekend prep. Every Sunday we prep ‘busy bags’ for the week, small zip bags with a different mini activity each day. Stickers, small Lego sets, a new coloring page, foam shapes, etc. Nothing fancy, all dollar store stuff mostly.
When Monday hits and work starts, the busy bag feels like a gift because it’s new. They have no idea what’s in it until that morning. The surprise alone buys me 30 minutes before they even start the activity 
Also going to try @kodevortex’s sticky note system AND @BoomerRing’s reward chart because clearly I need a full arsenal. Working from home with kids is basically a second job
Coming in last but I think this is the most important thing in the thread, none of these systems work if you’re running on empty yourself 
I spent a year trying every trick and tip and still struggling. Turned out I was so stressed and exhausted that I was giving off anxious energy and my kids were feeding off it. They weren’t being difficult, they were reacting to me.
Once I started actually taking breaks, eating properly, and not white-knuckling my way through the day, my kids naturally settled down around me. Kids are way more perceptive than we give them credit for.
All the tips in this thread are solid, ShredRed’s activity box, SoloVibe’s transition ritual, kodevortex’s color system. But layer them on top of taking care of yourself first. You can’t pour from an empty cup 
Hang in there LogicXWave, it gets easier, I promise 