Take Your Kid To Work Day 2017: 5 Tips For Parents When They Bring Their Children To The Office

“Take Your Kid To Work Day” is an opportunity for parents and guardians to inspire their children and the nation’s young people and also help them learn about the work their parents do and think about their own career paths that the children would like to follow and excel in. More than 37 million Americans at over 3.5 million workplaces will bring their kids to work on Thursday. Here are 5 tips for parents to make the most out of the day with your children.

Make the day memorable for your child: You wouldn’t want your child to sit beside you and play video games while you are working on your desk. That won’t be different from a day at home. You would want to include your child in the work you are doing and make the experience special for them.

"You don't bring a child there to babysit," said George McKecuen, a communications specialist with the Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day Foundation. "We heard where people bring the children when they're like 5 and 6 months old. I can't think of a horror story much worse than having to do a job and babysit an infant,” Mckecuen said.

Plan your visit properly before taking your children to office: You should ask your boss about the plans for the day and decide how to accommodate your children accordingly. You must also talk to your child’s school mentioning that he/she would be absent on that day and that your child will complete his class work later.

The activities that your child might indulge in at your workplace could include a roundtable discussion about how the workplace functions and interactive hands-on workshops dealing with every department’s expertise.

Take a break for lunch and plan for it earlier: When you plan a day at work with your child do not forget to account for the costs for all the meals including breakfast, lunch and a snack. While on a break, ask your child how they feel, whether they enjoyed their day so far, what they disliked and more importantly, what they would like to do later.

Make your child feel comfortable: Assuming that they are comfortable at your office would not be wise. “You may not understand it is very intimidating for them to walk into your world for the first time. They may be afraid, they will say or do something wrong, so take measures to put them at ease through some humor and light-heartedness,” said Lynn Taylor, author of “Tame your terrible office tyrant” and a national workplace expert.

Don't make your kids do your job: "The important thing is to make them feel that they're having not just a free day, but they're having a learning experience that will be meaningful, yet not too stressful to them,” McKecuen said. You cannot make them sit in your office and do the work for you so you can get the chance to attend a big management meeting.