Social Distancing? Give Your Kids Quality Time
Can't you go to work? Are the schools closed? Worried about money? It's normal to feel stressed and overwhelmed.
School closures also represent the chance to build better relationships with children and adolescents.
Time for an eye-to-eye chat: it's fun and for free. It makes children feel loved and safe and shows how important they are.
Separate a specific time for each child.
It could only be 20 minutes or even more – it's up to us. Doing at the same time each day will generate expectation in children and adolescents.
Ask your children what they would like to do.
Choosing builds self-confidence. If they choose something that doesn't allow physical distancing, then this is the chance to talk to them about what's happening today.
Turn off the TV and cell phones. This is a virus-free time.
Ideas for babies and little ones
- Copy your facial expressions and sounds
- Sing songs, make songs with pots and spoons
- Make pyramids of cups and blocks
- Tell stories, read books, or share stickers
Ideas for older children
- Read a book or observe pictures
- Go for a walk - around the house or through the backyard
- Dance to the music or sing songs!
- Do chores together - turn cooking and cleaning into a game!
- Help with school homework
Ideas for teens
- Talk about what you like: sports, music, TV, celebrities, friends
- Go for a walk - around the house or through the backyard
- Exercise together to the sound of that favorite song
Listen to them, see them. Give them your full attention.
And have fun!
This material was developed by Parenting for Lifelong Health (PLH) and is available in 46 languages and 32 languages in the translation process.
Parenting for Lifelong Health (PLH) is a set of free programs for parents who use the principles of social learning and parent management training to improve parent-child relationships. The programs equip parents with skills to generate them in a positive way and develop healthy relationships with their children.
