5 Ways Kids Can Build Relationships During the COVID-19 Quarantine

3

This has been… interesting? Right? This whole “can’t-leave-your-house-or-hug-people-or-do-playdates-or-send-your-kids-to-school” thing.  I have four children (ages 3-6) who are usually in a school they love or playing with their cousins or riding that birthday party circuit like it’s our weekend job. So the past few weeks of being quarantined have been hard.  And since we apparently have weeks and weeks before things return to “normal,” the goal is no longer to survive these circumstances… it’s to thrive! 

“Quarantine” Doesn’t Have to Mean “Isolation”

Friendship and social connection is an important factor in our human experience. You were probably “socializing” your child from an early age with similarly-aged children. Creating and cultivating relationships can continue, even in quarantine!

In my home, we’ve tried to replicate real-world interaction with the assistance of technology. My son enjoys trading Pokemon cards with friends so he and his best friend are doing trades via FaceTime; afterward, they mail each other the cards they agreed to trade. My daughter loves to draw and has enjoyed using the Houseparty app with its win/lose/draw-type game with her friends.  

5 Ways Kids Can Build Relationships During the COVID-19 Quarantine Candice Carricarte Contributor Miami Moms Blog
Photo by Sarah Dietz

The reality is, not everyone has equal access to technology. While there’s no doubt that it makes things easier, I strongly believe that maintaining connections during this season doesn’t require our kids to be holding a device 24/7. I have a few ideas that have been working for us (some with tech, some not) and I’d love it if you would share additional ideas in the comments to help other mamas!

Some Ideas to Consider

  1. Community Connection: Check with local churches and community service groups to ask how you can serve. These are perfect circumstances to teach our children the importance of helping others who are less fortunate. Children as young as 4 can help make sandwiches to feed the homeless. Or, you and your child can work together to draw pictures and write encouraging notes for senior citizens; many of whom are isolated at home or in retirement communities. Or, maybe you can deliver “thank you” cards to local hospitals for the nurses and doctors. 
  2. Pen Pals: Talk to your child and choose a pen pal to exchange notes with during quarantine. This is a beautiful opportunity for them to connect more deeply and build relationships with family members (grandparents, aunts/uncles, older cousins), an elder in your church, or a friend at school. And the handwriting practice is an added bonus 😉 
  3. School Friends:  Create a designated group in an app like Marco Polo or WhatsApp or FlipGrid where kids can make silly videos and leave them to be seen by their friends. This doesn’t require access to mainstream social media and can be monitored by parents. 
  4. Cousins/Close Friends: While my children (ages 3-6) typically don’t use our hand-held devices (tablets, phones, etc) except to watch a movie on very long flights, we have allowed them to FaceTime and do group video chats with their friends. 
  5. Special Celebrations:  It’s been fun to see families and friends come up with innovative ways to create memorable milestones.  Zoom parties, remote princesses, birthday parades and creative deliveries are helping us celebrate the people we love! 

Stronger on the Other Side

Most parents quickly learn, “the days are long but the years are short.”  I hope when these long days of quarantine pass, we’re more deeply connected with our family, our friends, and the world. I look forward to hearing how you and your children are able to build relationships and thrive!

Sending love and virtual (socially-distanced) hugs. Let’s talk again soon.

 

3 COMMENTS

  1. Great ideas to maintain and cultivate connection during this time. Here’s to thriving as we wait patiently to get to the other side of this season. Great post!

Comments are closed.