Top 3 Strategies to Get Shit Done While Working and Homeschooling

This pandemic is putting a lot of families in tight situations. Do we put our kids at risk and and physically go back to work? Do we give up our jobs and get forced out of the labor market at rates not seen since the men came home from the war? Or do we figure out a way to do both?

I choose to figure out how to do both. And this is how I manage to preschool while working a full-time job. It is not easy. We have good days and bad days. But I try to get everything done I can without sacrificing my sanity.

I use these 3 main strategies every day to insure I get what I need to done.

Strategy 1: Use Shelf Work and Self-Directed Montessori Play

Montessori shelf work is a concept I have fallen completely in love with.  It removes some of the effort of constantly keeping my little one engaged.  I know she has a few learning activities to choose from when she is playing by herself.  And with tons of learning activities at her height, she is happy to play by herself.

I get the benefit of knowing she is exploring and learning new things without having to directly monitor her, and she gets the benefit of having new toys and activities to explore on a consistent basis.  It is glorious.

What is Shelf Work?

Shelf work is a set of on-level educational activities laid out on a shelf for the child to grab and work on their own.  Each activity is designed to teach a specific skill with minimal supervision.  

Activities are usually laid out on trays or in baskets and are set up in a way to encourage the child to play with it.  Puzzles have their pieces in a basket next to them.  An art tray has everything the child needs to color.  A pouring station is all set up waiting to go, etc.

The child can then pull an activity in its entirety off the shelf, play with it, and then put it back on the tray and return it to the shelf when done (yes you have to teach them how to put it away, but it is worth the effort).  

What works well for shelf work?

Shelf work is great for practicing open-ended skills.  It is also fantastic for learning material that self-corrects.

Open-ended skills are ones that the child can do in any way and know if they were successful or not because of the nature of the skill.  These include skills like:

Activities that self-correct are those that have a built-in fail-safe.  They can do the activity wrong, but they know it isn’t quite right when they do.  This includes:

What can be turned into Shelf Work?

The best shelf work activities are designed to practice a certain skill.  You can make shelf work to practice anything you are already working on.  In my lesson plans, I make suggestions for shelf work.  If you need ideas for other work, you can check out this Pinterest page for ideas.

Anything Else I Should Know?

The important thing about shelf work is to make sure the environment is conducive to play.  What this means is you should try to limit electronic or hyper-specific toys.  Too many toys cause confusion.  Implement a toy rotation, and try to keep activities to a minimum.  Fewer toys and activities encourage more play and reduce the number of “I’m bored” complaints.

You also need to consider the cleanliness of the space.  The play/ learning area of the home should be straightened every day.  When it is hard to find toys or see activities, it is hard to get lost in play.  

So keep toys and clutter to a minimum. 

Strategy 2: Keep a Special Quiet Basket

Quiet baskets contain activities to occupy your little ones while you need to focus.  The activities support what they are already learning and are designed to be engaging.

Many people call them morning baskets because they encourage use in the morning to kind of set the tone for the day.  But, as working parents, I encourage using the quiet basket during that super important meeting, or as a vehicle to get something important done.  

How do I Build One?

First, take a basket (or box).  Now fill it with quiet activities and books that are engaging to your little one.

Common things to include in quiet baskets are:

The important thing is to make the basket special.  It always has new things, and you only get to play with them at quiet time.  Don’t overfill it, keep a rotation of quiet activities, and switch them out every few days to a week.  I only keep 3 or 4 activities in my basket. That will help keep them interested.

Strategy 3: Go Mobile

We don’t stay in the playroom all day. At any given moment, my daughter’s attentions may change and she may dart upstairs or need to go outside. That can be really difficult to manage, so I have learned how to pivot on a dime.

When my daughter is engrossed in something, I set up my laptop and write or take meetings. But when she is scattered and running all over the house/ yard, I take my phone. Almost everything I do can be done on my phone.

I can open google docs and write. I can take calls and answer email. And I can get chores around the house done.

The more I can do on my phone, the more productive I can be. It took about an hour to set it up so I could do nearly everything from my phone, but it was well worth the effort.

Even if you are not as lucky as I am to be able to do everything mobile, you should still be able to check email or make phone calls. So save those for when you are following your kiddo around or sitting on a park bench. Really prioritize things that require full focus when you have those moments in front of your computer.

Other Tips and Tricks

I hate to say it, but in this day and age my child gets more screen time than I would like. We watch movies and occasionally play video games. That often buys me a few minutes to get something difficult done.

The other trick I use is to turn food time into playtime. I give her food to use as manipulatives. We sort berries and practice skills like spreading peanut butter. I can work on my computer next to her while she explores different foods and uses food as a manipulative.

What are your favorite tricks to keep your little one occupied so you can work? Let me know in the comments below!

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