Do your kids miss their friends? Do you miss your kids with their friends? I know I do. The thing I miss most is miss my kids getting interaction with others their age. I miss hearing them laugh & play. Finally, after a whole year of this pandemic parenting, I set up a virtual playdate with my friend Porsha & her girls.
We decided on a fun virtual craft playdate easy enough for them to craft on their own with supervision from Porsha and I. With the pandemic ending who knows when I have decided that these playdates need to be happening more often! Lia had so much fun and spoke about it for days!
Virtual Playdate 101
What is a virtual playdate?
It’s just what it sounds like- a playdate taking place virtually. You can choose to FaceTime, Zoom, Duo, Meets- whatever you have accessible to you does the trick. The versatility also makes it super awesome because you can have a playdate literally from anywhere.
Do I Need to Plan Activities?
Not necessarily. You can if you would like. We opted for a fun craft playdate where we literally pulled out whatever craft supplies we had and let the girls run with their imagination. Most recently, Lia had one where they each just grabbed whatever toys they wanted and played together. It doesn’t need to be stressful.
How Long Should Virtual Playdates Last?
This is completely up to you. It can be a quick get together for story time or can last up to whatever parents feel is appropriate. Lia tends to loose focus and interest after about 30-45mins and that is usually a good time to end it.
How Often Should You Have Them?
Again, this is up to you. You want to take into account screen time limits if you have those, school work, family schedules for everyone involved, etc. I am going to aim at once a week since Lia is really enjoying them.
Are There Any Cons to Virtual Playdates?
We are living in a time where our kids are constantly on screens. I would think this is the con that may concern most parents. I get it, I am typically a screen time monitoring parent.
Are There Any Benefits to Virtual Playdates?
For me, the benefits are way more! We get the closest thing we can to human interaction. Lia gets to see her friends and interact with them in this new & temporary way of life. Through playdates she is able to use her imagination with her friends & learn how to maneuver technology. You can check out more benefits from my friend Porsha HERE.
Now get to playdating! Your kids & you both will love it!
