Schools are starting to announce their method of learning for the 2020/2021 school year. This is rather frustrating and overwhelming for many parents. Some working parents aren’t sure how they’ll be able to financially support their family if their children are required to be home part or full time for distance learning while other parents are concerned their children may lose some education in a virtual setting.
There are far more concerns and questions from parents all over regarding the new school year that we can’t answer or accommodate all of them. Instead, we’re going to share some tips to help kids with social skills while distancing learning. Social skills are something that are easy to learn when a child attends in-person school, but distance learning creates a situation where kids aren’t socializing at recess or with their friends during classroom activities.
With the lack of social interaction during distance learning, many parents are concerned and with good reason. Today we’ll help ease those worries with tips to help your kids practice social skills while they’re attending remote learning sessions for school this year.
Schedule Virtual Play Dates
You can schedule traditional in-person play dates if you’re comfortable with that, but to keep every parent feeling safe you can opt for virtual play dates. Talk to your kids’ friend’s parents and set up a playdate where the children can engage and chat via Zoom or Google Meet. This will give your kids a chance to socialize with their peers, laugh, and forget about the pandemic for a little while.
Play Family Games
Good social skills will always begin at home! That’s why we wanted to share another way to help kids with social skills while distance learning by using family time. Gather some old board games, or trivia-style games and engage in a family game night once a week to socialize, laugh, and have fun together as a family to encourage good social skills with your kids.
Be Intentional with Conversations
While you engage in conversations with your kids, try to encourage the basics of being a good listening. Things like making eye contact, manners, and how to respectfully disagree are important social skills. Work with your kids to help them learn the best way to respond to a difference of opinion, engage in a difficult conversation, and truly hear what the other person is saying while you engage in family chats.
Video Calls with Family Members
Lastly, another easy way to work on social skills while distance learning is to partake in video calls with family members. These video calls with extended family members will provide some practice for social skills when talking to someone your kids don’t see every day. This will mimic the same conversations that your kids may encounter during their daily life outside of the home and give them a safe space to practice manners, listening skills, and other important social skills while stuck at home.
Using this list of ways to help your kids with social skills while distance learning will help guide you forward in making the best out of your current situation. Your kids can learn social skills while distance learning, you simply have to start thinking creatively about how to practice these skills.