Socialising with distance: ways to keep children connected
- Learning Resources Posted On Mar 24, 2020 | Learn
When children are used to school, sports, extra mural activities and just hanging around with their pals, being home and away from their playmates can be hard for little people to understand. That’s why it’ll become ever more important to help kids during this time of socialising with distance with ways to keep children connected.
Social distancing is the new norm for now but can be difficult for young children to grasp because all they want to do is grasp, hug, high-five and wrestle. The NHS recommends limiting close contact with others by social distancing. However, it might be easier for children to understand it as ‘physical distancing’.
Explain it like this: let’s say a sick person sneezes. If there’s no-one around, the germs won’t have a person to land on, so being far apart during this time keeps everyone healthy. While we wait this out, here are a few ways we can be together, apart.
Video calling
Whether it’s FaceTime, WhatApp, Facebook Messenger, Skype, Zoom or Google Hangouts, there are several ways to stay connected to a buddy or classmate. Set up a mutually agreed upon time. The call will have to be facilitated by you because little ones will be initially engaged with their own image. But stay off screen – this is your kid’s call and their conversation. Make sure to place the call in a quiet room. There should be no television in the background, or a sibling talking over them. Throw out talking points for the callers. Maybe encourage your child to draw a picture for their friend on the other end so they have something to show and discuss.
Send a video text
We do so much of this already. Children in the mobile phone age are so used to being videotaped. As we are all too familiar, when a child knows they are being taped, they might not act as natural. Try to capture moments that are more impromptu. As your child kicks the soccer ball around the yard, say “how about we share this with your teammate Kevin?” Shoot it off to Kevin’s dad and before you know it, you'll receive message back of Kevin doing a similar activity. Smiles abound.
Host a virtual lunchbreak
Set up a virtual lunchroom through a conferencing app. Grab a handful of buddies around their regularly scheduled school lunch time and meet up. The familiar faces with delight them, even if the conversation doesn’t go much past “hi…hi…hi…” They will get the hang of it eventually.
Make an old-fashioned phone call
Remember back in the day when we had to call the house phone of our friend and ask, “Hello, Mrs. So-and-so. Can I speak to Sarah?” How about we teach kids to place a phone call. Make sure children say hello, identify themselves, and then says good-bye. Keep conversations short. Maybe begin your first few calls with nanna or grandpa so they understand the rhythm.
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Write a letter
Who doesn’t love getting snail mail? Encourage your children to write to their friends. There are five parts to a friendly letter: date, greeting, body, closing, and signature. You might have to select the topic of the letter but ask them to think about what they usually talk about with the friend they’ve chosen to write to. (Example: my friend John loves collecting rocks. I’ll tell him about the rocks I found on my walk today). Your little one might not be able to write all of it, but at the very least they can practise writing their name. Include stickers, a friendship bracelet, or some other fun surprise. We bet you get a letter in return.
Picnicking in cars
Pack a picnic lunch on a sunny day. Load everyone up into the car and drive to a park or your friend’s driveway. Park close enough to talk, but a safe distance away. Roll down the windows and shut off the car. Have lunch with friends without anyone getting out of the vehicle.
About the author:Armed with a practical approach, Stacy Flannery shares encouraging tips and “we-are-all-in-this-together” humour for raising kids in today’s world of high expectations. Flannery, an experienced magazine editor turned mumtrepreneur, never imagined her two toughest bosses would be under three feet tall.
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At Home Behaviour Supports
Transitioning to home-learning is a big change for our students and us as parents. Many of the same positive, proactive supports that we put in place in your children’s classroom can be adapted for the home setting. Here are four suggestions for at-home behaviour supports to help make remote learning time more successful.
Try to provide warnings ahead of transitions:
When it is time to transition from one activity to another, give clear directions such as, “In five minutes, we are going to turn off the TV and start our maths assignment.” Positive reinforcement is a help, so provide praise when your child transitions well: “Thanks for turning off the TV. Grab your notebook and pencil and meet me at the kitchen table.”
Discuss with your child your expectations for when you also have work to do:
During this time, many parents are juggling working at home with home schooling, and transitions and boundaries help things run smoother. This could be actions such as, “When I am on a conference call, you can write down your question and hand it to me,” or “If you get hungry while I am working, I set out three snack choices for you,” or “If you can’t figure out this assignment while I am on a work call, you can read until I can help you.”
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Encourage independence:At school our students are encouraged to ask a friend before asking their teacher if they have questions about an assignment. You can encourage your child to ask an older sibling (if available). Use technology to your advantage as well! You can have your child ask “Alexa” or “Google” how to spell a word or define a word if you have a smart speaker. Encourage your child to email their teacher with questions as opposed to you doing it for them.
Create a family positive behaviour system:This is uncharted territory for us both as educators and parents. Look to create a system that rewards the behaviours we want our children to display and all work together. This could be a poster where you all earn stars for being helpful or kind or following directions without whining. Once your family gets a certain number of stars (start low, you want this to be attainable within a week or less) they can earn a fun family reward. A nature scavenger hunt, a special cooking project, or a family indoor picnic or movie night are all fun rewards.
Another positive support that many students are familiar with is putting a marble (you can use pebbles, or cotton balls as well) for displaying certain behaviours. Try to target one thing at a time and be specific – “Listening to mum and dad on the first ask” is always a good one. Put an item in the jar each time that behaviour is displayed and when the jar is filled, they can turn it in for a fun activity (see suggestions above). I would suggest having these systems be something all kids in the family are working towards together to encourage working as a family team.
About the AuthorAlexa Halbert is a certified Behavioural Analysist. She has worked in the field of applied behaviour for over seven years. During this time, she has worked with a wide range of students with special needs. She helps parents with customised behaviour intervention plans for home or school.
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