Setup Video Calls With Playmates
If your child desperately misses their best friend, help them to set up a video call. Apps like Facetime or Skype allow them to connect with friends anywhere in the world.
Go the extra mile by establishing a virtual playdate. You hold the phone or tablet and play broadcaster. If you have a Nerf basketball hoop, your kids can play virtual horse with instructions like, “you must shoot from behind your couch.”
Teach Them Fun New Tricks
Children love to show off new skills, so use this time to teach them something they can’t wait to show their friends when they reunite. Do a Google search and show them how to do magic tricks or play hacky sack like a boss.
Decorate for the Holidays
Yes, it’s April, but being home with family calls to mind the end-of-year holidays. This activity might make quarantine more psychologically manageable for your little one.
Maybe you feel like you put them away only yesterday, but dig out those festive lights. If you don’t have an artificial tree, you can decorate your mantel and houseplants.
Monitor Video Game Play
Many popular video game platforms encourage socialization by implementing a chat function. However, predators know that the majority of children use these rooms, and they can pose convincingly as other youth.
Learn how to adjust the parental controls of the games your kids love best. You can set the chat function to only work when you supervise, for example.
Encourage Responsible Social Media Use
Depending on your child’s age, you might allow them a personal smartphone and social media use. However, cyberbullying creates real-world problems, to say the least.
Make sure that you go over social media rules regularly with your children, and set reasonable limits on its use, even during the quarantine. Set a good example yourself by cultivating a positive online persona and encourage your child to join groups of uplifting, responsible individuals.
