Many parents have spent the past year wondering how life in a socially distanced world is going to impact the development of their families, especially children. Social by nature, tiny humans rely on interaction with others to help them form their personalities, value systems, and perspectives on life. But in the wake of a global pandemic, opportunities for socialization and interaction have dwindled, and many little ones don’t know a life outside of isolation with their family units.
While we’re hopeful that 2021 has more opportunities for fun and socialization in store, we also strive to support parents and families in their efforts to raise healthy kids. We’ve compiled a few tips and ideas to help you support social skills at home and as a family.
Park Playdates
Depending on the regulations and recommendations of your home base, parks may be a viable option for kids to burn some energy and interact with others. Encourage them to mask up while they play, and enjoy watching from a distance while sitting comfortably on top of our all-purpose mat. That way, when your child is done playing, you can easily help them sanitize, toss used masks and dirty clothes on top of the play mat, and bundle it all up to pop in the washing machine as soon as you arrive home.
Make Manners More Fun
To continue nurturing childhood development in your household, it’s important to encourage proper social skills so you can confidently send your kids back out into the world when the time comes. It’s not fun to worry about whether or not they’re being polite at the play date, or stressing about how they fare in the classroom, but making manners more fun at home can give you the peace of mind you need. Make sure that you are consistent with emphasizing the importance of politeness and manners at home, this example will set the stage for how your child acts in public and with peers. Reward good behavior and make a game out of practicing mindfulness when it comes to manners in order to create an independent and polite child. Send us your best tricks and tips for helping to shape kind kids!
Social Skills Games
We recently stumbled upon an exciting board game to help with social skills! This collection of board games focuses on four primary components of childhood development: manners, emotions, friendship, and empathy. Perfect for ages 5 and up, this board game collection makes it easy to teach your child about the best ways to be a kind friend and interact with the world around them.