Whether or not they make it known, your children are interested in you. They care about your life and what you do during the day. That’s why Bring your Child to Work Day is such a great opportunity for both children and their parents. Children have the chance to learn just what Mom or Dad does all day after seeing them off to school in the morning. Parents are able to spend some time showing their sons and daughters the value of hard work and the satisfaction in a job well done. Of course, the lone caveat in this otherwise promising day is that work still needs to be accomplished, and parents can’t spend all their time interacting with their children. The following are thoughts of activities children might enjoy during Bring your Child to Work Day while Dad or Mom is hard at work. Remember, these are your children. You know them best. Tailor these suggestions to fit your child’s interests and personality.
- Create a Business Card – If there is an available computer or just an available piece of paper, encourage your son or daughter to make their own business card. They could pretend they are the president of the company, principal of the school, or whatever they choose to imagine. They’ll feel like they’re a part of the work environment, and should have a great time making their business card, too.
- Assist with Simple Tasks – If you need copies made, paperwork filed, documents shredded, or have any uninvolved jobs to complete, take your child along with you. Let them participate as you show them what to do, and even let them take over the job themselves. You get to work together with your child, and your child gets to feel a sense of accomplishment as they are actually performing real work just like Mom or Dad. This is something you should both appreciate.
- Plan a Group Project – If coworkers nearby are also bringing their children to work, why not have them work together to complete a minor, somewhat fun job-related project for you. Once they’ve finished, perhaps parents and children could have a meeting in a conference room to discuss what was done.
- Go out for Lunch – Let your son or daughter take a break from the grind, and enjoy some time together away from work. You can talk about the day so far, and discuss anything they might be interested in seeing or learning in the afternoon.