Working from home when your kids are home is totally doable if you have the right plan. And oftentimes, that just means having a bunch of STEM activities on deck that your kids only have access to when you’re actually…working. When you rotate out activities, and you limit when they’re able to play with said activities, they’re basically guaranteed to be more interested in them. Here are a few of our favorites (you can also watch my TikTok on this here):

1. Kinetic sand: we have a few different sets, some from Target and some from Five Below, that my kids all enjoy playing with. We did buy a set with a huge basin to keep everything in, which helps on the clean-up side. My husband also built a huge sandbox for our backyard, and it’s a great addition to our summer playtime when I work from our deck.
2. Scribble Scrubbie Pets are another favorite for my 5-year-old. Basically, it’s a bunch of toy animals that she can color, then wash off. We have a bunch of different sets. Buying a silicone mat with a lip is essential for this activity (I also love this for painting/messy art projects) because it will contain the water mess. To store everything I bought one of these big rolling tubs from Target.
3. Bead sets: these are also awesome for keeping my younger two kids entertained for at least an hour at a time. There are tonnnns of different ones you can grab, I have this set by B.Toys, several of these by Disney, this set by Melissa and Doug, and a bunch of little sets from Mondo Llama at Target.
4. Play-doh/clay: Lately, my kids will sit down and do play-doh or clay projects for literally 2-3 hours at a crack. I’m planning to grab this Play-doh set for this summer, and I have these Mondo Llama clay kits from Target that are awesome!

What are some of your favorite ways to keep your kids busy when you’re working from home?