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Working from Home with Kids

4/22/2020 | admin

Creating Family Time in the Chaos

If you are like some of the staff at AlphaGraphics Kansas City then you’ve been working from home with your kids for several weeks. And if you are like us this wasn't what you planned for in 2020. Let's get real for a minute. THIS SUCKS! The stay at home process is really hard and it doesn’t feel like there is an end in sight. To top it off, we’re going to go right into the summer without returning to school. Our kids miss their friends and teachers and we all are starting to get a little cabin fever. However, our AGKC team is also finding that this time at home can be amazing for our families and creating better relationships with our kids. The team at AlphaGraphics Kansas City has A LOT of kids, so we thought we would give you some of our best ideas for activities to do at home with your families.

Play Board Games and Puzzles:

Lots and lots of board games. For the littles, we love the old standards like Candy Land and Memory. One of the Haar family favorites is a game called Hoot Owl Hoot. It's a cooperative game so if you have older kids it’s good for them to get involved with their younger siblings. With older kids, the Crawford family recommends The Cameleon Board Game for game night with their teens. It is a deduction game where you have to find the Chameleon that doesn’t really fit in. Games are fun and anything that gets you and your family around the table is sure to be a hit.

Take Walks:

The universal activity for all of the AlphaGraphics KC families working from home is taking walks either with dogs or kids. It’s a great way to burn off extra energy for everyone and an opportunity to connect with your neighbors (a wave as you walk by!) and nature. We found this great Nature Bingo game from The Kansas City Zoo that you can use on your next neighborhood walk.

Do Art and Science Projects:

The Catherell Family has amazing art skills. One of their recent favorites is making found object drawings! The basic principle is that you choose a theme and then search for objects that can be incorporated into your drawing. So far they have created portraits and a plant drawing. You could come up with so many other ideas like animals or birds, buildings, and abstract drawings. Art projects that kids can work on why you are working from home are great. Older kids can make slime, paint, or draw by themselves. The team at AlphaGraphics created this fun coloring book you can download to share with your family.

Read a Good Book:

Brandon’s daughter is the perfect age to begin learning to read so they have been helping her with beginner readers and flashcards to get her started. The Haar Trio loves to listen to audiobooks so they have been going through free books streaming on Amazon. They are currently listening to a classic, “Anne of Green Gables”.

Make Chores Fun:

Allison has a 2-year-old and he wants to help with anything that Mom and Dad are working on. She recommends making everyday activities into a game. Who can pick up the most sticks or put the socks in the washer? For the older kids, find a way to gamify your chores. The Haar’s tried Escape Room cleaning. Put 30 minutes on the timer and the first one done with their clean-room wins. Depending on your family you could have a reward (pick the movie night) or “fun” consequence (act like a chicken).

Find Personal Time:

Finally, being stuck at home with the whole family can be hard, particularly if Mom and Dad are trying to work from home. Make sure your kids get some personal time by themselves or one on one with you. We have the luxury of not having every minute scheduled, letting the kids get bored isn’t so bad.

Cook Together as a Family:

Everyone has to eat, and several AlphaGraphics Kansas City families have been cooking. Amanda recommends using this as an opportunity to teach your children family recipes that have been passed down from past generations. Her kids have been learning her Grandmother’s recipes. For younger children, this can be a great time to teach them basic kitchen skills. Incorporating math and chemistry lessons can also reinforce the lessons they are learning from school. PBS has a great list of kid-friendly recipes you can check out HERE. Some days working from home can feel incredibly long and frustrating, but this time will pass. We hope that you can look back on 2020 and remember the memories you created with your family. Our kids will likely remember this as an adventure, or at least that’s what they hope we remember.

About AlphaGraphics Kansas City

Located in the creative Crossroads Arts District, AlphaGraphics Kansas City is a certified Women-Owned business that specializes in helping Kansas City businesses solve marketing problems. The printing company’s production specialties include custom digital color and large format printing.

For further information about AlphaGraphics Kansas City and their capabilities, contact the AGKC team at 816-842-4200 or visit their website, AlphaGraphics KC.