Pandemic parenting has been one of the hardest challenges most of us have faced since having children. On the surface, there’s been the homeschooling, the lack of a break, and the ceaseless efforts to find the next interesting thing to do. And, underneath all of that comes the real struggles, the guilt about whether we’re giving our kids what they need and, most importantly in many cases, how all of this is going to affect their social development.
Throughout a child's development, social skills are crucial for every aspect of life, from personal relationships, to work and beyond. Yet, the past year has left a generation worldwide missing out on these all-important lessons almost entirely.
Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing what the long-term implications will be. What we can say now, however, is that this social impact isn’t going to be great, leaving many parents realizing the importance of positive action now to prevent any further social damage. The question is, how exactly do we go about honing our youngsters’ social skills when leaving the house isn’t an option?
Lead by example
As a parent, you are the example that your children look to for guidance in everything, and this is especially the case from a social standing right now. After all, you’re all the socialization they’ve got, and you’re also the only influence they have to learn from. In school, they might watch teachers or other children, but now all eyes are on you, meaning that how you interact matters a great deal.
Specifically, parents right now need to make an effort to display the social behaviors that they’d like their kids to build on. It may be that this simply involves sitting in the same room as your youngster’s while you have phone calls so that they can hear your conversation and tone. Or, it may be that you and your partner make a specific effort to hold adult conversations around your kids at the end of the day. Even if you and your partner have separated, making the most of positive communications on your co-parenting journey right now can still have the same impact. The more your kids are around these little conversations and social efforts, the more you can rest easy that missing out on the classroom environment isn’t going to endanger their social development altogether. In fact, by keeping all interactions positive, you could well help them towards an even better social path than they might have found otherwise.
Make the most of social activities
We’re all struggling on the energy front right now, with the news and our current lifestyles both taking their toll in equal measure. But, for the sake of your kids, you must embark on social activities rather than solo pursuits throughout the day.
As much as this might seem like a mountain you don’t have the strength to climb, group activities like baking, playing games, or even just heading out for a (safely distanced) walk together can work wonders for ongoing social development. Not to mention that, for you, getting out of your head like this could really breakthrough that lockdown fog.
Games are especially beneficial here because, in many instances, they teach social skills in and of themselves, making this and the group work inherent in play a double whammy of social benefits. For instance, a game like Who’s Who or Cluedo requires critical thinking that gets those social synapses firing by putting your kid’s to work understanding character and body language. Equally, team games are fantastic on the social front, with everything from Pictionary through to Trivial Pursuit opening the doors for teamwork that encourages sharing, communication, and collaborative thinking.
As much as solo work likely also features in your homeschooling efforts, it’s certainly worth implementing one or two of these more socially focused activities every day. Even if that means simply reading a book together, you’re still helping your kids to learn something about the conversation. And, let’s be honest; at this late stage in the pandemic, none of us are going to dismiss a game that we can play for genuine educational benefit!
Always use the options on the table
Lastly, it’s vital to make the most of any possible social opportunities on the table right now. In large part, these are going to vary a fair amount depending on where you live, with some areas allowing limited households to mix, while others allow for socially distanced walks between a certain amount of people. Either way, do your research into the level of social interaction that you’re allowed and make the most of that in whatever way you’re comfortable.
While you obviously want to keep on top with social distancing, etc. a simple walk out with friends who also have kids can make a huge difference on the social front, encouraging your kids into all-important chats with others outside of your household. Even if you aren’t comfortable or allowed to walk out with others, making the most of at least once-weekly Zoom chats with your kid’s school friends and their parents can also make a huge difference here.
Distanced or through-the-screen chats might not be as good as a daily face-to-face on the playground but, right now, we have to take our kid’s social opportunities where we can find them. By keeping up chats like these for the remaining time that we spend facing restrictions, you should certainly find that your youngsters are better prepared to return to social classroom environments when the time comes, sometimes with even better developed social skills than they had when they first left them.
Life right now is undeniably tough but, by continuing to prioritize social skills in a world where kids have largely been programmed to dread interactions, you arm them with the skills that they need to bounce back as though none of this ever happened. And, that’s a goal we should be working towards.
