How to help a child maintain friendships at a distance

New tools for video communication help children to maintain relations with friends and relatives at a distance

How to help a child maintain friendships at a distance
New tools for video communication help children to maintain relations with friends and relatives at a distance

New tools for video communication help children to maintain relations with friends and relatives at a distance

Many parents are concerned about children's excessive fascination with gadgets. However, they can also be useful, especially when it comes to communicating with friends after moving or with relatives who live in another city.

Psychologists claim that when children actively communicate with friends and relatives via video, they value their relationships with them even more. Thanks to new programs and services, such communication becomes as simple as possible. Children from 6 years and older have practically unlimited opportunities to communicate through chats and video communication.

Even 100 years ago, family members lived closer to each other. Today, a lot has changed - in some families, parents can work in another city and see their children only on weekends. And in such conditions, technologies that allow communication at a distance become especially important. Let's consider several ways to help a child strengthen friendships and family bonds with the help of new technologies.

  1. Introduce your child to video communication technologies as early as possible

Paediatricians recommend not to give electronic gadgets to children younger than one and a half years old. However, an exception can be made for video communication with relatives and friends, because personal communication is very important for small children. In the process of personal communication, children learn better and develop the necessary skills, even if the interlocutor is on the other side of the screen.

In 2016, American psychologists conducted a study involving 1-2 year old children. During 1 week, the first group of children learned new words and concepts by communicating with the teacher via video link, while the second group watched pre-recorded videos. As a result, children who communicated through video communication developed better cognitive skills and later recognized in real life the people they saw in the chat.

  1. Ensure the quality of video communication

Not all the time a child spends in front of gadget screens is equally harmful for him. Medical research on the quality of sleep has shown that poor sleep and depressive states from excessive use of gadgets are related to poor video quality rather than excessive screen time. Therefore, with the correct use of computers and smartphones, video chats can benefit the child.

Video calls are suitable for small children, but the age of the child should be taken into account. This applies not only to conversations with friends or relatives, but also to watching videos, games, etc. Watch the videos together with your child and discuss what you have seen - this way you will add more interactivity to your classes.

  1. Discuss the use of technology with the child

A child can use electronic gadgets in different ways. If she watches videos or plays computer games, she just passively consumes content. However, you can also use gadgets for educational purposes: read books, study mathematics and other subjects.

 

Talk to your child about how to get the most out of internet technology. If she's just scrolling through her Instagram feed, that's passive content consumption. If she communicates via video link with grandparents who live in another city, this is important. This strengthens the bond between generations.

  1. Monitor the child's contacts and conversations on the Internet

The safety of the child should always be in authority. There are special programs that allow parents to approve each new contact before the child can communicate with them, and which provide the option to delete contacts at any time. Also, with the help of programs, parents can monitor their child's correspondence.

  1. Monitor how much time the child spends in front of the screen

When a child sits at the computer or uses a smartphone for communication or correspondence for too long, it can harm other important activities.

With the help of special programs, you can put the computer into sleep mode. In this way, you can limit the time that the child spends in front of the screen