My last posts giant disclaimer looked at how to get techy with your kids in Lockdown and covered the basics in setting up boundaries and safety hacks. If you want to read up here’s the link. https://bsingleinstyle.wordpress.com/2020/03/23/motivation-in-isolation-parents-survival-guide-how-to-get-tech-savvy-with-the-kids-part-1/
Today I really want to explore the fun stuff and how you can get involved:
Gaming:
Ask the kids to teach you how to play their games, you may already know, you may have even taught them. But it can be a great way to bond and spend a few hours in their world. Personally, I’m bloody shocking at gaming, but tonight I’m letting my girl teach me Fortnight while bribing my 5yo with his favourite movie and popcorn.
You can also consider letting them play online with their friends. Now this may terrify you as a parent keeping them safe online is by far the most important issue. This is how we get around exposing them in our house. The trick is WHASTAPP.
Honestly, it’s a brilliant way for your kids to play online with their friend without being exposed to anything that makes you uncomfortable. My girl arranges to meet her friend from school online, she Facetimes them on *WhatsApp and avoids being open to the influences on online stranger. Just remember not to go strutting round your house in your pants or this could be embarrassing for everyone.
*Age restrictions for WhatsApp have recently changed from 13 to 16 however if this is a concern for you let them use your phone. You can always call the parents of your child’s friend and arrange a virtual play date for them.
If you’re a single parent like me, this can also be a great way for the kids to remotely interact with your ex counterpart. My girl has often played online with her Dad, they arrange a time to log in and crack on. If you can find a way to make this work it’s like virtual babysitting and can fee you up for an hour to get on with housework, actual work or just a few moments of peace.
Your kids are most likely already way ahead of you on this, Facetime talking and arranging virtual chats. This is something you can embrace over the coming weeks. Adapt it to include dinner with the family, have a talent contest with your chums or a bedtime story with the grandparents, just find ways to keep social contact up under your watchful eye of course!!!
We are arranging a bake off with one of my boys’ chums, the plan is to leave Facetime on while we’re in the kitchen. This way he can chat to his best friend whilst in lockdown
On another night we are hoping to have an online party with her cousins and my sister. The idea behind this is to play a few tunes and have a singalong, it’s silly but anything we can do to keep the kids feeling less isolated is a bonus
Social Media
What apps and media are your kids involved in and how can you best use them? Apparently “Facebook is for old people like you mum”. But taking an interest in their social mediacan be a great way to engage in conversation, ask who they are following and why. I bet you’ll learn a stack about your kids, their interest and the influencers influencing their young minds. Plus let me honest it’s a great parental move in checking they are being safe online.
I’m lucky, my girl loves TikTok. This app has given us so many hours of entertainment with its ridiculous dances and challenges. A few weeks back she stitched me up and set up an account where I’m prancing about in my slippers (Thanks Love). I’ll be using this app later in the week and will hopefully be joined by some of my online friends. Watch out for TikTok Challenge day and how you can get involved.
And don’t forget apps like House Party, this is a great way to play games and get with the people you know from your phone. Download the app, play a few games with your kid’s and help them learn how to navigate the system. remember the best way to lean this tech is to play it yourself. Admittedly I enjoyed this one a little too much and after my daughter went to be I ended up at 1 am in a trivia challenge with a rather interesting mix of my old school friends, mummy mates and my ex Boss. It ended with a few beers and good giggles had by everyone and all from the safety of your sofa.
The reality is, you will have a battle on your hands if you try to fight your preeager/teenagers Tech World. Don’t give in to it, instead try and get involved. Remember to keep the boundaries, let them know their limits, educate yourself in the tech they are using, and the online safety involved but most of all HAVE SOME FUN. The next few weeks could be a bonus in using this time to really understand their world and create a way for you to engage with them.
I’m sure there are loads more ways to use tech to engage with your kids and if you have a great idea, I’d love to hear it. You can find me on
You can find me on
Twitter – Candy@BSingleinStlye
Insta – bsingleinstyle
WordPress – bsingleinstyle.wordpress.com
Coming Up
Motivation in Isolation –
- The Links To Keep Your Kids Busy In Lockdown – A Parents Survival Guide
- A
- The Perfect Crisp Sandwich: Great Lockdown Lunches With The Kids
- A Parents Survival Guide: Go nuts with Go Noodle
- Tik Tok Challenge:
The Hacks You’ve Already Missed
Motivation In Isolation –
- A Parents Survival Guide: The Shopping List (You’ve been stockpiling the wrong stuff) https://wordpress.com/view/bsingleinstyle.wordpress.com
- A Parents Survival Guide: Day One https://wordpress.com/view/bsingleinstyle.wordpress.com
- Parents in Lockdown Survival Guide: Getting Tech Sauvvy With The Kids Part 1 https://bsingleinstyle.wordpress.com/2020/03/23/motivation-in-isolation-parents-survival-guide-how-to-get-tech-savvy-with-the-kids-part-1/
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