4 Ways for Baby Boomers to Stay Connected to Their Children and Grandchildren While Social Distancing.
4 Ways for Baby Boomers to Stay Connected to Their Children and Grandchildren While Social Distancing.
Here are some great ideas on how to stay connected with your family when you have to be apart.
Another unfortunate consequence of the coronavirus is that many people over the age of 60 are not able to interact with their children, grandchildren, and other loved ones because they are considered in the “high risk” category for getting the virus. Here are some ideas to stay connected and avoid loneliness and isolation while social distancing.
1. Set up a ZOOM Meeting:
- ZOOM is a visual platform that a lot of people are using for live, video meetings. You can use ZOOM to visit with your family or play a game with your grandchildren. If you have never used ZOOM before it can be intimidating at first. It is actually a very user-friendly tool; and it is simple to navigate once you get started.
- What you’ll need: To initiate a meeting you will need a ZOOM Account. You can sign up for free at: ZOOM.US
- Only one of you has to have an account. The person initiating the meeting will just have to share the meeting code or link with the participants to join the meeting/session that you host.
- Here is a link to show you how to join a meeting once you receive an invitation to your email:
- If you would like to view full tutorial videos on how to establish an account, send a meeting, etc. Please visit this link:
- Once you have a ZOOM Account you can play some engaging games. For those of you who are good with PowerPoint you can build several slides with pictures or objects that you can share with your children/grandchildren and have them do a live quiz. A few examples are:
- Name the sport
- Name the movie
- Name the instrument
- Name the cartoon character
- Play a card game like Go Fish
- You can also have them guess an object by offering them a series of clues
2. Write a Letter
- When was the last time you wrote or received a letter? Children always yearn to get mail, especially when they see their parents going to the mailbox. Imagine their surprise when they get a handwritten letter from you! They will be so delighted. Encourage them to return the favor and write you a note back. This is a fun way to stay engaged and children will have a chance to practice their writing skills in the process.
3. Exercise Class - Yoga
- Once you learn the basics of Zoom, you can learn to SHARE your screen. From here you can go on the internet, and begin a Yoga class that you and your family can do together via the platform.
4. Bake Something Together.
- Do you have a favorite recipe that you would love to share with your family? Why not set up a baking class together? You can make it simultaneously and compare notes as you enjoy the finished product together.
I hope these tips are helpful. If you have any questions regarding investments, the markets or anything at all, please let me know. Stay safe!