Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, many people were forced to develop relationships over video call services such as FaceTime. While at the time this may have seemed like something that was new, or that we as a global community “had” to do, as the pandemic has faded it has become a fantastic way to keep families connected. It has especially become an effective form of communication for young kids to engage with distant relatives or family friends, and grandparents.
However, it can prove difficult to keep young kids engaged throughout a FaceTime call. Thankfully, there are a number of ways to achieve this, of which we are going to outline to ensure you can keep your young family members engaged.
Set Realistic Expectations
One of the most important things for FaceTiming with young kids is to set realistic expectations for what it will look like. If you go in expecting young kids to have the same attention span, and social capacity as an adult, you will become easily frustrated, or possibly even leave with hurt feelings.
Go into your FaceTime with the understanding that it may be a little bit sporadic, will ebb and flow, and that you may lose their attention. If you enter this reality with a jovial, and understanding attitude, it will make the entire experience better, and easier for you.
Just be On
Sometimes the best way to FaceTime young kids is to just be on FaceTime. Allow them to show you their lives, to play, or to talk on their own whim. This allows you to watch your younger family enjoy their lives and to be a part of it. It takes the pressure off of the kids to perform, or to engage past their own ability.
Being there and present in your own way helps to produce connectivity, and even produce memories! Of course this depends on this individual, but it can be a fantastic way to engage with the younger children in your family.
Play a Game!
There are plenty of games to play on FaceTime, and these are among the best ways to retain the attention, and engagement of young kids over FaceTime. Games like Pictionary, or Charades are great games to play with kids over FaceTime. These games are easy to do, and require almost no supplies. You may need some adult help to get these games running, but they can be an absolute blast once you have it going!
When playing games over FaceTime with young kids, remember that the rules may get distorted, and things may get a little out of hand, but the goal is to connect and have fun.
You can also play a game like Pictionary directly ON FaceTime. FaceTime actually allows you to draw on the app live, and this is a great way to create a fun, crazy, and out of control game that will keep kids engaged and excited!
Spend Time Learning FaceTime
Ensure that you spend time learning how FaceTime works! Young kids of today’s generation are fairly well versed in technology, and its capabilities. Even more than this, they are unafraid of experimentation. They are going to press buttons, use FaceTime’s more unique functionalities, and do so fearlessly! If your young, distant family members have to spend the entire time explaining to you how FaceTime works, you are quickly going to lose them.
Spend time familiarizing yourself with FaceTime, and ALL of its functionalities before you do a call with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or whomever it is you are engaging with. Do a call with an older family member to discover different aspects and functions, and make sure that you know all that you need to know. Doing this will ensure that you are able to match your younger family’s technological abilities.
Ask Them!
Giving your younger family members a say in the FaceTime activities is a great way to keep them engaged, because they are engaging with their own ideas! Either ask them beforehand what they would like to do, or how they would lead the session, or check in with them each time you FaceTime to see what was fun for them, or what they want to do next time.
Not only does this help keep them engaged over the course of the call, but it also gets them excited about the next one. Giving young kids some ownership over the experience makes it their time just as much as yours.
Experiment
Lastly, it’s fine to experiment! It may take some time for you and your young family members to find the right groove. Take the time to try new things, adjust, and see what works. Don’t feel defeated if one session isn’t as good as another, and stay focused on the kids!