I understand the worry parents have about their kids being so isolated currently, from worrying that they’re lonely and sad because they can’t see their friends to worrying that they’re missing out on crucial social development by being in the house. The first thing I want everyone to realise is that the interactions you have everyday with you child are actually the main source of what they need, and that even in the ‘normal’ world children (especially younger children) get the majority of their social development and interactions from us. And this is true even if ‘us’ is just one parent and one child. Young children especially can find too much social time with too many people overwhelming. The importance of peers doesn’t start to come into play until elementary school age and even then it’s not until middle school that peers start to overtake parents as the main source of social enjoyment and interaction (and the good news is that by this age kids have got really good at communicating in a million different ways with the friends!)
So, give yourself a break and dial back some of that worry and guilt!
The second thing I think all parents really need to hear is that screens are not evil and bad! The majority of research referring to screen time is looking almost exclusively at TV rather than tablets and there isn’t a large body of research evaluating the impact of tablets with interactive apps and video calling on children. I think it’s reasonable to assume (especially during lock down) that social interaction in any form is better than no social interaction. So encouraging your child to video call with family and friends or play interactive games where they can chat while playing can be positive enriching experiences.
Don’t feel guilty if the majority of your child’s social interaction are happening through a screen!
The final thing I think parents probably want to hear are actual practical suggestions on ways to be social and help their child feel less isolated. I’ve broken suggestions down by age but obviously they build on each other, so school age children can try everything suggested from babies upwards.
Babies - video calls (keep these brief and uncomplicated - maybe only one or two people at a time - try to time it when baby is fed and engaged)
Toddlers - video chatting (they are now old enough to understand the rhythms of conversation even if they don’t have that many words), simple online games (peek a boo, singing together, eye spy), virtual hide and seek, virtual stories, online groups (music classes, baby yoga etc)
Preschoolers - online classes (can probably manage slightly more structured classes like online art class), set up email/text even if it’s just emojis or photos being shared (this can be good for quieter/introverted children that find face to face interactions less fun/more overwhelming), Facebook groups for their preschool class or friend group, group video chats (I would limit these to 3-4 kids at a time!)
School age - find safe ways to game together (Minecraft realms), texting or emailing each other, may be old enough to understand social distancing and bike ride or scoot safely with a friend, it’s important to give them space to chat with their friends in private, sending letters to friends or family members and asking for responses.
Remember that there are lots of different ways we can interact with other people even if we can’t see them face to face! We can help our kids stay socially connected even whilst we physically distance.