At our place the kids really are having the hardest time of anyone with social distancing and isolating. They miss their friends, their classes, their routine and school. They miss playing and creating with their friends, especially over important milestones like birthdays. Tully turned eight a few weeks ago, Mylo turned six the other day and some of their friends have had birthdays too. We have been trying to get creative with ways they can stay in touch with friends. Here are five of our favourites!

5 ways to keep kids connected with their friends while isolating

1 Zoom/ Facetime

The kids love to chat to their friends through video chat. It gives them the face to face time they crave. It's a bit harder for Mylo because he is younger but Tully loves chatting to her friends. We have been doing class Zoom catch ups as well for birthdays, which makes it that bit more special for the birthday kid.

2 Write letters

Now is the perfect time to practise the age old skill of letter writing. Tully is loving sending and receiving letters from her friends. She writes letters and draws pictures and then mails them at the mail box. It's so exciting (plus she's practising her handwriting without even noticing!)

3 Make gifts for them

We've been baking like crazy here and dropping treats to mail boxes. We made some cute Easter biscuits and dropped them to our friends for Easter because we were sad we wouldn't be camping together.

4 Wave through the windows

For friends' birthdays we have dropped by to leave presents on their doorsteps and wave through their front windows. It helps make the birthday kid feel special and it keeps the kids connected.

5 Learn something together

Tully and her friend both got keyboards for their birthday so they can learn together while we are all in isolation. They can practise, show each other how they are progressing and can bond over their learning.

How are you helping your kids to stay connected? Share your ideas below!