How to help your child maintain relationships with peers when away from school for an extended period of time?

A child's extended absence from school—due to illness or, as is the case now, the global coronavirus pandemic—is undoubtedly a particularly difficult time for them. While students can benefit from online education in the age of digitalization and the internet, peer relationships suffer and deteriorate during this exceptionally stressful time. How can you help your child with peer relationships? Find out in our article.

How to help a child in a new situation: first of all, talk

The current situation in the country and around the world has undoubtedly caught everyone by surprise. Closed educational institutions, retail, service, and entertainment venues, as well as a ban on using public playgrounds and other entertainment facilities, have all contributed to the coronavirus pandemic effectively confining Poles to their homes.

During this time, it's especially important to remember that an honest conversation with your child is paramount . Whether they're 5 or 10, your child is a great observer and listener. They see what's happening at home, they sense changes, and they're aware of new, unfamiliar situations. Therefore, it's worth talking to them about why they can't go outside, go to the movies, or invite friends over to play. Patiently answer your child's questions, share important information (adapting the message to their age), but above all, reassure them that they're safe.

Peer Relationships - How to Maintain Them?

Doesn't your child have their own phone yet? No problem. At a time when maintaining good relationships with peers is very difficult, you can let your child use their smartphone . This way, they'll be able to contact their friends for a chat and a laugh. This will help them relax and de-stress. What's more, when they return to school, things will certainly be easier, especially since your child will be well aware of what's going on with their classmates.

Child's relationship with peers - technology to help - video calls

Messenger and Skype are just a few examples of instant messaging apps that are fantastic for video chatting. If your little one is too young to have their own account on these apps, you can lend them yours or create a temporary account that they can use during illness or the nationwide #stayathome campaign. This way, they'll not only be able to talk to their friends but also see them . This will certainly provide at least some semblance of normal contact and allow them to catch up with their peers.

Peer Relationships: Word Games

Time spent on traditional phone calls and video calls via various messaging apps can be used for creative word games. Familiar games you've used before, such as those you've used on long car trips, are perfect for this.

Words beginning with…

To foster good relationships with peers, you can, for example, play a game where you have to come up with as many words as possible starting with a specific letter . The winner is the person who can come up with the most words starting with a given letter within a given time frame (e.g., 30 seconds).

Verbal snake

A great game that works well when played over the phone or instant messenger is " word snake." To do this, children take turns saying words that begin with the last letter of the previous word. This type of game encourages creative thinking and can be a great way to beat boredom.

Guess who it is?

Another game, " Guess What? ", aims to stimulate children's imaginations. It's a kind of pun, played over video calls, and involves presenting word puzzles . For example, "it eats grass and has spots" (a cow), "it's colorful, sometimes plain, sometimes patterned, and I wear a different one every day" ( a T-shirt ), or "it can come in different colors and you always have it in your pencil case" (a crayon). The person who solves the most puzzles in the shortest time wins. :)

Associations

Another game that's great for maintaining relationships with peers in the classroom or at the playground is " Associations ." It's a perfect idea for children of all ages. The idea is to create a chain of associations. Children are asked to name words that are associated with the last word they said. For example, water – a fish is associated with water. A mermaid might be associated with a fish. A prince might be associated with a mermaid, and so on. There are many ideas, and the biggest advantage of this type of game is that it can be successfully played even from a distance. :)

And finally…

Remember that just as you need to talk to friends from time to time, your child also needs to maintain relationships with their peers. So regardless of what's happening in the world, whether it's the coronavirus pandemic or your little one is battling a cold, it's important to provide them with opportunities to interact freely with their friends. New technologies facilitate this—now is the perfect time to take advantage of them.