Play is important for children’s development – it helps them make sense of their world and promotes resiliency. During the pandemic, it’s important to keep children engaged in play by making time for play, creating a space, and finding ways to maintain friendships. Kids can bring the pandemic into play: curb-side delivery (instead of playing restaurant), superhero-scientists out to beat the virus. We can also use technology to bring friends together.
These tips grew out of the survey we launched early in May 2020 to understand how COVID-19 was impacting children’s communication. We shared the general findings here. We also developed tips for keeping children talking and helping them expressing emotions. Parents expressed that more information about helping their kids communicate would be helpful. During our July lab meetings, we brainstormed what should go into the tip sheet. Farah and Claire wrote the text and prepared the “mise en page” and we are ready to share!
- Tips for engaging kids in play
Multilingual Families Lab Familles Multilingues 