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16 Tips on how to design a home office that is kid friendly

As a mom that works from home and has worked from home since I became a momma, I know the struggle is real trying to juggle both. Some days are easier than others, but mom guilt is REAL even when you work from home. You want to do a really good job for your clients or employer, but you don’t want to ignore your kid or plop them in front of a screen (momma’s with young babies- you’re lucky if you can get three hours of work done a day).
16 Tips on how to design a home office that is kid friendly

16 TIPS ON HOW TO DESIGN A HOME OFFICE THAT IS KID FRIENDLY

As a mom that works from home and has worked from home since I became a momma, I know the struggle is real trying to juggle both. Some days are easier than others, but mom guilt is REAL even when you work from home. You want to do a really good job for your clients or employer, but you don’t want to ignore your kid or plop them in front of a screen (momma’s with young babies- you’re lucky if you can get three hours of work done a day).  So, since I’m now the work from home mom expert (bahaha) I thought I would share some pointers on how to make your home office (even if it’s the kitchen table) a place that WORKS for both you and your kiddo(s). Hopefully now you can get some much-needed work done and feel like your kid is learning and involved in your daily activities with you. Rather than being somewhere in the background, zombied out on a screen.

Some links in this blog post may be affiliate links. If you purchase a product using a link on this blog post, Sara may get a small commission for recommending the product. You won’t be charged additional.

I’ve created a little “work from home start-up guide” that you can download for FREE. Just enter your email below to get your free guide.

guide includes:

  • Furniture plan examples of how you can layout your furniture in your home office.
  • Check list of the most important things you should have in your home office.
  • Kids activity list ideas which requires minimal set-up from you.
  • Two examples of daily schedules
  • Blank daily schedule for you to create your own

*AFTER YOU ENTER YOUR EMAIL, YOU WILL BE REDIRECTED TO ANOTHER PAGE TO DOWNLOAD THE WORK FROM HOME START-UP GUIDE.

16 Tips on how to design a home office that is kid friendly

First thing when working from home with kids, is to consider your work environment.

This is mostly for those moms who have a home office, but even if your home office is also your dining room you can still utilize some of these tips. There are a few things to you will want to consider when making your shared space work for you and your kids (no pun intended).

Tip one:  Colors- in modern décor typically you want to keep the colors in your room neutral or monotone (unless you are into Mid-Century modern or something with bright pops of color). I think keeping the paint colors on your walls bright and fresh is a great way to feel energized and reduce distraction as your start your day.

Tip two: With tip number one being said, my second tip is to create a focal wall in your space. Maybe something with a fun wallpaper, or color that you love. Make that wall feel like you or your family and adding that special touch will help create a happy place to work from.

Tip three: On your accent wall, put a few bulletin boards. Maybe one for you to keep all your notes and tasks in one easy to view space, but also one or two for your kids. A bulletin board is a great place to hang the ABC’s, 123’s, first words, etc. I’ll explain my reason for this more in depth later on.

Tip four: Put a comfy area rug on the floor for your kiddos to play on. Make a designated space for them to play IN the room where you are working. Even if you already have carpet you can do this. Choose something kinda fun, like a faux fur rug or something with fun patterns or shapes. Throw some toys on that rug and let your kid’s have fun with their imagination while you get some work done.

Tip five: Don’t forget about that comfy chair. I don’t know what it is, but kids love to have a cozy place to sit. I don’t know how many times my daughter sits in the lounge chair I want to sit in, and she always makes it to the chair before I do. Carve out a little cozy spot for your kid. A place they can read some books, or work on some homework. Making it just their chair will really help them feel included.

Tip six: Install a drop-leaf table in the room. This is great if you do not have extra desk space. A drop leaf table or console is a great place for your older kid to work on some homework, or younger kid’s to color.

Below are a few desk options with drop leaf, or that fold out. I think these would work well in smaller home offices or even in a dinning room. Click on the image to be taken to the product page.

Wall mounted drop leaf table
Wall mounted fold-out desk
Fold-out console

Next thing to plan when working from home with kiddos, is to stay organized.

The bread and butter of mommyhood and working from home. You need to have an organized space. This is key to working efficiently, doing a great job for your clients, and including your babes in the process.

Tip 7: Storage, storage, storage. You need to squeeze in as much storage as you can. You want to have storage for your paperwork, office supplies, and other items you use in your business. Consider wall cabinets above your desk (something younger kids can’t reach). Get file drawers for paperwork that have a locking mechanism. Think about roll-away bins for under the desk or to store in other parts of your office for toy storage. That way you can have some of the most popular kids toys easily accessible in your office, but it still looks like someone works there.

Below are some bin options for your toy storage solutions. Both of these have wheels, so most kids can pull them out of storage themselves. Click on an item below to be re-directed to the product page.

Tip 8: Keep things you use most often in an easy to reach place. Again, I go back to the bulletin board. There are many systems that have add-on’s for pencil holders, sticky note pads, and other office related storage. You can put it as high up as you want so that little ones can’t reach it and it’s so nice to be able to quickly grab what you need.

Tip 9: Don’t forget to PLAN the organization of your office which meets your SPECIFIC needs. Think about bookshelves, cabinets, filing systems, printer location, etc. etc. You will honestly be way more effective if you plan for these things and design your office around them.

Tip 10: Come up with a schedule. I am sure you’ve heard it many times, kids love schedules. They really do. And as a parent who works from home, it is even more vital that you have a set schedule each day so that you can optimize your productivity. It helps the day run a lot more smoothly.

16 Tips on how to design a home office that is kid friendly

Lastly, when working from home with kids, make it easy for them to have fun.

Let’s face it, kid’s just want to have fun right? Yes, they need to learn and do their homework but why can’t that be fun too? And when they are having fun, it makes your workday waaaay easier and more rewarding. Here are a few tips I’ve learned along the way for keeping my kid occupied with minimal input from me while I work.

Tip 11: Create a craft station in the room. I’m not talking paints or things like that. Us momma’s know, that’s always a messy situation. I’m talking about crayons, coloring books, paper crafts they can cut out, paper folding crafts, bead crafts for older kids, and whatever else your kid enjoys doing. Make a space that inspires them. I like to display crayons, markers and other craft supplies somewhere that maybe they can’t reach but that lends them the opportunity to ask me if they can use those things. Because then you’ve created a situation where they WANT to do it and depending on the activity you don’t need to watch them the entire time. For this you will obviously need a small table or desk for them to work on.

Tip 12: Like I mentioned before, a roll-out bin for storing kid’s toys is a great idea. Even dress-up toys, or something that will occupy them for some time. Your office doesn’t need to look like a playroom to be useful for you and your kiddo. Don’t forget to include puzzles in your bin, those are great quiet activities that take a while.

Tip 13: Take a break and play outside! Eat a quick picnic lunch outside or take a 15-minute break while your kids draw with chalk on the cement. Keep your days interesting by breaking up the type of activities that you do.

Tip 14: ABC, 123 bulletin board. I also mentioned this earlier, but this is really great for preschool and kinder gardeners. During your lunch break, or one of your 15-minute breaks you can spend some time teaching your kid the alphabet, their letters, whatever they need help learning. All you would need to do is point to the letters that are already hanging out and make learning fun and engaging. Kid’s love doing these kinds of things with their parents. It seriously takes no time at all and it’s amazing how quickly your kid will learn.

Tip 15: Have a snack station in your office. This is seriously a game changer because, all kids love snack time and it reduces the amount of times you need to head to the kitchen (at least for the younger kids). I know some people may not like food in their office, but if your child has their own designated desk or space then you should be able to manage the mess easily. I always like to keep lidded snack bowls around so that if my young child knocks the bowl over, she won’t spill her snack everywhere. And I always start off my day by filling up her camel back water bottle.

Tip 16: This is my last tip, and it’s when everything else has be exhausted and you still need some more uninterrupted work time. I allow my child a certain amount of time on the iPad, but ONLY using educational apps like ABC mouse, Homer, etc. That usually helps her stay pretty occupied, but I also know that she is learning. The things she says sometimes amazes me because I know she didn’t learn it from me.

I hope you’ve found some inspiration on how to work from home with kiddos by reading this blog post. My husband and I are always looking for ways to un-segment our lives and so if that means my child is part of my workday (in addition to my non-work time) then that’s great. I’ve only got her attention for 18 years, and I want to make sure I set a good example of how to balance work and life, and teach her the things that we think are important as her parents.

Don't forget to download your free guide...

*AFTER YOU ENTER YOUR EMAIL, YOU WILL BE REDIRECTED TO ANOTHER PAGE TO DOWNLOAD THE WORK FROM HOME START-UP GUIDE.

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