Things are opening back up in NY but that doesn’t mean things are totally back to normal just yet. This week we’ll be brainstorming some ways to get your kids some socialization from afar, both remote and socially distant with others. After the activities, keep reading for some natural environment teaching (NET) skills that can be worked on while having fun!

Remote Socialization. Many schools and therapies have moved to a primarily telehealth model or online video chat model to provide services to children. Online video chatting can be a fun, helpful and safe way for your child to interact with others. If your child doesn’t quite have conversation skills yet, or your child doesn’t communicate vocally, give these ideas a shot. 

Here are a few things for you to try whether there is a family member who wants to spend time with your child but can’t, or a friend you want your child to socialize with from a safe distance using technology. 

Read a book

Reading over video chat lets your child interact with someone remotely. For those kids with emerging conversation skills, your child can answer questions about the book, label what they see, tell the person to turn the page, and choose the book! 

Screen share

Most computer/laptop video chat programs have a feature in which you can share your screen with the person you are talking to. This means that once that’s enabled they can see what you are looking at on your screen! Once you get the hang of this, the possibilities are endless. Kids can see their friend’s screen; they can show them pictures of what they’ve been doing. Kids can watch a video together and not worry about having to time it perfectly. For children with emerging skills, they can make choices of what video to watch or what game to play, and the adult can reinforce that communication by following through. 

Get Artsy 

Set up a phone or device in front child 1 while they are coloring or doing some other type of art. Have child 2 with whom you will be video chatting with do the same on their end. The child and friend can each color while they’re video chatting to make it more interactive! This is great for a learner with emerging vocal communication. They can draw and the other person can comment on what they’re drawing, ask questions and show off their drawing as well! FYI this is also a fun grandparent activity or loved one activity if they live far away! 

Virtual Scavenger Hunt

Take turns (if two kids are playing) or have the child find something around the house and bring it back to the screen to show you! Here are some examples to get you started:

Find something that smells nice

Find something yellow 

Find something with wheels

Find something with letters on it 

Ready, Set, GO!

So you’re ready for your child to see their friends in person, but want to promote social distancing. This can be super tricky for little kids, as they typically want what their peers have and don’t understand why they can’t be close to them. An obstacle course or race can be a fun way to have the children play parallel to each other in a “normal” way. You can set up a simple one in a yard using chalk or whatever you have to create a course. Hula Hoops to jump in, chalk lines to walk on, cones to jump over, grass to roll on. Have your child race their friend to have some fun but keep them distanced. 

Keep it simple

At the end of the day, your child is going to be able to play with someone out of their house for possibly the first time in months and that’s enough! Chalk, drawing outside, bikes, bubbles... all fun ways your kids’ can play with others and also keep a distance and stay safe, sometimes keeping it simple is best!

Don’t worry, I didn’t forget the ABA in this post! Kids who are having fun are motivated kids and motivated kids are kids who are learning! The fun activities above give your child a chance to learn some skills in their natural environment (NET). These skills include manding (requesting), tacting (labeling), conversation skills, attending to a speaker, receptive communication (nonvocal communication), gross motor imitation, expanding language & prewriting skills. So have some safe social distance fun and keep learning!