Keeping in touch

For many childminders who have had to take the difficult decision to close their doors during the coronavirus pandemic it has been a huge wrench to not see their minded children every day.
We naturally become very close to our minded children, with them often becoming akin to a second family, so this is hardly surprising. It is difficult for the children too. Many will be too young to understand why they can’t visit any more and may be worried they are no longer cared about by their childminder.
 
In my first blog I mentioned some ways in which childminders and their mindies can stay in touch with their families that will benefit everyone. I have updated this to take into account the significant changes that have occurred since that was written, not least the ‘lockdown’ situation we are currently in.
 

• Book in a weekly Skype call or Facetime session with the families or sign up to Zoom. This could just be one family at a time or a conference call with them all. You could just chat or consider doing something together such as singing or yoga!
• Record yourself telling a story or signing a rhyme to share with families. You do not need permission from a publisher for this unless you post the recording on a public platform such as your website or YouTube. Even then, many publishers have granted temporary blanket consent for educators and librarians to do this. Click here for a useful list of publishers who are offering this.  
• Put together 'busy bags' or book bundles from your resources to loan to families. Don’t forget to clean them well before and after use and ensure families are not travelling unnecessarily to collect these. They may be able to pick them up on a shopping trip for example, or during their daily exercise outing if they live close enough. If you can, leave the bag in a porch or on your doorstep to be collected. If not, make sure you step back 2m after answering your door, whilst the bag is picked up.
• If you don't have one already set up a secret Facebook or WhatsApp group to keep everyone up to date with news. You and the children can post video clips of yourselves with little messages or doing funny things, or add ideas for activities, recipes, favourite books or songs etc.
• Rediscover the ancient art of letter writing. Send postcards and notes to your mindies and encourage them to send you their pictures. We hardly ever receive post these days that isn’t junk or a bill so this will brighten everyone’s day.
• If you use an online Learning Journal company look at ways you can keep in touch through this, for example using Tapestry’s ‘memo’ function. Encourage parents to take photos and upload these and their own observations to their child’s LJ if the system enables this or email them to you to upload if not. Ask the children to look at their journal with you/parents during a conference call and tell you their favourite picture or outing.
• Some companies are offering free access to home learning resources that you can share with families and the DfE are working with organisations to provide resources to support home learning as part of their Hungry Little Minds campaign. The BBC are launching a home learning campaign on their Bite Size website from 20 April. Famly are producing weekly activity posts and I am working with Kinderly who have developed similar support for their clients and families, to produce a weekly newsletter including activity and resource ideas
• Create competitions or challenges for the children – who can send you a picture of a yellow flower in their garden for example, or who can spot a ladybird, or bake brownies or dust their rooms – use your knowledge of the children to set appropriate tasks
• Create plans for the future: what would they most like to do when they come back? Make a top 5 of things to look forward to. This could be visit their favourite park, bake their favourite cake or create lunch together, read a favourite story and so on.

Do let me know if you have any ideas to add to these. You can use the comments feature below or email me [email protected]