Keeping Kids Connected Whilst Apart

Friendships nurture the soul. They provide us a listening ear, understanding, compassion, connection and joy. Regardless of our age, we all need a friend. Adults can phone a friend, text and engage through social media apps. Teens, for better or worse are constantly connected thanks to the internet. Many primary school children chat with friends through online gaming. How can we support young children staying connected with friends while we practice social distancing and isolation? Can we use this experience to strengthen community?

A supervised video call to a friend

This is an opportunity to get to know your childrens friends and their parents better. You will gain valuable insight into the children's ways of thinking, their likes and dislikes. The children could turn this into a play date as they each have a toy that joins in the fun or play a song they like and dance together. 

Photo sharing

Young children have grown up in an era where photos are constantly being taken to capture moments in time that create memories. Children can take photos of their play, artwork or themselves and send through text messaging, that you control, are able to share experiences with their friends.

Email

Receiving or sending an email can be exciting for a child. They often associate email withthe work of adults. It also provides an opportunity to teach your child how to type their name. Write their name on a piece of paper so they can copy the letters. If the letters aren't typed in the correct order or the wrong letters are typed, this is the time to build resilience. Laugh about it, try and read what has been written. Ask "does that sound like your name?" Be lighthearted when you respond. Use phrases like "should we try again?" and "the backspace bar can delete the letters. Let's have another go?" Mistakes are part of learning and life. Resilience helps people to try again, bounce back, see opportunities and find hope. What a great gift for you to impart on your children. 
 

Practice gratitude

Practice gratitude by discussing who your childrens friends are and what they appreciate or like about them. When they share their experiences, support them by reaffirming their behaviours. "Betty must really be grateful that you helped her pack up even though you weren't playing in the home corner." "So, when the blocks fell and Billy cried, you helped him to try again. He must be so grateful to you for helping him."

Play

Take the place of their friend and join in their play. Push the car around the track, play with dolls, draw, paint, build and create positive memories with your child. Play provides an escape for both of you from social media. Be grateful for the time you share playing with your child.