Sometimes you just have to get some work done, when all your child wants to do is play with you.  While playing with your kid should be your top priority, you can't always neglect your work. Being a parent sure isn't easy.

I've had a colleague who sometimes had to bring her 3 year old son to work when the nanny was sick and no one else was available to take care of him. We all helped keeping him busy and now and then he would also enjoy some games on the computer.

Here are five ways to distract your child and keep any kid busy for a few minutes when you absolutely need it.

MysteryNet's Kids Mysteries

This website is suited for kids who can already read and love to explore. If you don't want your kid to simply consume, but rather use their brain and learn something new, you should give this one a try.

keep kids busy

In Solve-it and Quick-solve your kid can read short stories and solve difficult cases, based on the information the stories reveal. Was it the gardener? The Chiller section hosts scary stories.

Finally, to impress family and friends alike, the website explains some simple magic tricks everyone can learn.

KideoPlayer

Certainly, the easiest way to keep kids busy is with videos. When the television is not an option, let me tell you, neither is YouTube. You never know what they will zap into next. Pre-filtered content is always the best idea.

YouTube

KideoPlayer is a family safe YouTube player for kids. It's extremely simple to handle. Load the page and videos will begin to play automatically. Don't like the clip, hit the space bar for the next one. There is one button for the most popular videos and a second one just for moms. This makes the site suitable for very young kids.

ZuiTube

Your child may be a little more demanding, wanting to select from a collection of clips. In that case I recommend ZuiTube, which claims to have the largest video collection for kids.

videos for kids

Your kid can choose from New TV & Cartoons, Movies, Funniest Videos, New Music, Dinosaurs, and Animation. I'm sure there is at least one category they will find exciting.

Within the main categories, there are many more subcategories to explore. And while your child makes their selection, you can relax because you know the material is safe.

Crayola Coloring [No Longer Available] 

Kids love color and you can give them what they want with Crayola Coloring. It's an ace up your sleeve when all you have to offer is a boring office and a computer.  Besides, even if your kid is creative and tempted to color your walls, that's not gonna work with these colors.

Crayola Coloring

The kid can choose from different types of pens, tip sizes, and colors. The result can even be printed.

Storyline Online

Do you read stories to your children? It's something wonderful to do and usually has a very calming effect on children, but it takes a lot of time. Why not give your children a little more of it, but have someone else do it?

story telling

At Storyline Online you will find many short stories read by many famous members of the Screen Actors Guild Foundation. Now they can always claim that a celebrity read them stories when they were small. :)

We have previously covered games that can keep kids busy.

What is the most fascinating and self-directed distraction for your child?

Image credits: jmjvicente