Keeping Kids Active and Engaged While You Work Through the Holidays
A Guest Blog by Jenna Sherman
The holiday season brings plenty of joy, but for parents who also write for a living, it can create real tension. Kids are home more, energy runs high, and deadlines don’t disappear just because the calendar fills with celebrations.
The challenge isn’t only about getting words on the page; it’s about creating an environment where children feel included and stimulated while you maintain focus. With a little structure, clear planning, and smart activity choices, you can strike a balance that keeps both family and work humming along.
Keep a Steady Framework
Even during festive weeks, kids respond well when the days carry some kind of rhythm. Predictable touchpoints anchor their energy and help you avoid constant questions about what comes next. Something as simple as breakfast at the same time or a consistent mid-morning break helps everyone know where they stand. You don’t need to fill every slot, but if you can layer your days with structure, children will settle faster and you’ll have a clearer mental map for your own work windows.
Think of it as scaffolding: flexible enough to leave space for spontaneity but solid enough to keep the day from unraveling.
Protect Your Writing Hours
Work doesn’t happen in scattered five-minute bursts. It requires windows of attention where your mind can stay tethered to the page. One of the best ways to defend this time is by planning it early and communicating it clearly. Mornings before the day ramps up often work best, but the key is consistency.
If kids know that you’ve reserved deep work windows early, they’re less likely to barge in because they trust that another moment with you is coming. Frame it as an agreement, not a restriction, and you’ll reduce pushback while strengthening boundaries.
Align Plans with Your Kids
Holidays often come with heightened expectations. Kids want presence, parents need progress. Instead of treating these as competing demands, fold them together. Bring children into the planning by talking openly about which hours are work hours and which belong to family. That conversation creates buy-in and models responsibility.
A big part of this is showing them how you build a family-first work plan. It’s not about perfection; it’s about designing a structure that gives writing its place while honoring togetherness. Kids who feel included are more cooperative, and you’ll be less likely to carry guilt as you sit down to draft.
Encourage Independent Engagement
Sometimes the simplest solution is to give kids something they can own without you hovering. Stock a box with puzzles, art supplies, or tactile toys that spark curiosity and don’t need constant oversight. Rotate the items so they don’t lose appeal. The goal is to create short bursts of time where kids are absorbed enough for you to focus.
When you build independent play toolkits, you give children a chance to practice self-direction, and you buy yourself concentrated minutes. Even 20 minutes of uninterrupted writing can be more valuable than an hour chopped into fragments.
Add Creative Seasonal Projects
Winter and holidays are tailor-made for activities that feel special without requiring big budgets. From handmade ornaments to homemade cards to gingerbread houses, projects give kids a sense of accomplishment while filling afternoons with meaningful work. Set them up at the kitchen table with supplies, offer a little guidance, then let them run with their imagination.
The beauty is that while they dive into a mini holiday workshop, you can knock out a block of editing or plotting. Later, everyone gets to admire the results, creating a positive feedback loop that makes them eager to repeat the cycle.
Be Smart About Screens
Technology can either drain focus or give you space to recharge, depending on how it’s used. The key isn’t elimination but calibration. Decide in advance when and how screens will be part of the day, and communicate those limits clearly. A short show while you handle email, or a movie night after dinner, feels different than endless scrolling.
By choosing programs that fit your family’s values, you curate screen time for focus rather than letting devices dictate the schedule. Structure turns screens into a tool, not a crutch.
Get Moving Outdoors
Fresh air shifts moods and burns off excess energy better than any indoor distraction. Even in cooler months, families benefit from time outside. Bundle up, take a short walk, or send kids to the yard for scavenger hunts, leaf collections, or chalk art if the ground is clear. When children get to enjoy seasonal outdoor adventures, they return with calmer bodies and clearer heads.
That transition creates a window where you can lean into your writing with fewer interruptions. The bonus is that outdoor time builds seasonal memories that stick longer than an hour on the couch.
Balancing writing deadlines with holiday parenting isn’t about juggling endlessly; it’s about designing an environment that supports both.
- Structure the day so kids know what to expect.
- Guard your work windows and invite children into the planning so they feel invested.
- Fill their hours with independent projects, creative crafts, and outdoor play. Be deliberate with technology rather than reactive.
When you approach the holidays with strategies like these, you reduce friction, increase focus, and create space for the season’s joy. Writing gets done, kids feel engaged, and the holidays unfold with more connection and less chaos.
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Jenna Sherman is a mom of three (two girls and a boy). She created Parent-Leaders.com to help other parents acquire the skills they need to raise future leaders by providing a collection of valuable, up-to-date, authoritative resources. Take a minute to visit Jenna Sherman’s blog for helpful tips. Or visit her guest blogs here:
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