Virtual Visit Ideas

Most agencies have ceased in-person visits between foster children and their parents due to the threat of Covid-19. Some locations have lifted restrictions, but we’re still in the thick of Zoom visits. And now the novelty has worn off.

In the beginning, the kids would sit (relatively) still and engage for 15-20 minutes in a Zoom meeting. It was something new. They had rare access to my phone and could make all the weird faces into the camera. Those days have been replaced with antsy fidgeting, bobbing in and out of camera view, and fighting amongst themselves.

We needed to make it new again, so I searched the internet and came across these ideas to renew interest in virtual visits.

1. Play a Game

This game idea is re-shared from a foster parent group. All you need to do is attach colored tabs to the top of each row on a Connect Four game. The child drops his/her chip into a slot, and on the parents’ turn, they tell the child which color they want for their chip.

You could also do a modified game of Pictionary, Battleship, or Headbands.

2. Play with Your Food

I always tell my husband that my favorite time of the day is that two minutes of silence when a meal is first served and everyone is too busy chewing to remember that a child’s primary duty in life is to release a stream of annoying sounds.

Normally, we discourage our kids from playing with their food and spending an hour at the dinner table launching peas across the dining room, but a few fun snacks can keep them engaged while chatting with their parents.

3. Story Time

A great way to keep the engagement up is reading a story. Either the parents can pick something to read to the kids during the visit, or if you have older children, they can practice throughout the week to share their reading skills at the next visit.

If you’re in the market for a new book idea, The Invisible String by Patrice Karst is a wonderful choice. It’s about that unbreakable connection between parents and children and is sure to leave you a little teary-eyed.

4. Tour of the Bedroom

We might be a little resistant to opening our entire house to an outsider. I know I fear this meme becoming my reality:

However, virtual visits are a rare opportunity for bio parents to be invited into their child’s space. Prop up the laptop in your foster child’s room. Let him play and give his parents a tour of his bedroom. It has the added bonus of being slightly contained but still allows for free movement throughout the room.

5. Share Videos and Photos

This is a feature I wasn’t aware even existed. I love taking photos and videos of the kids throughout the week. Since my foster children are largely non-verbal, photos are a way to share what the kids have been doing with their parents. Have the photos and videos in their own folder and ready to go before the meeting so you can access them quickly.

Click on this link for Zoom’s step-by-step tutorial into screen sharing.

6. Share a Recipe

This is a fantastic way for parents and older children to connect, especially since bonding over cooking typically isn’t possible during a regular, supervised visit. Set up the camera in the kitchen, and parents can dictate directions for making a favorite family recipe. Communicate with parents ahead of time so you have ingredients on hand.

7. Break out the Play-Doh

We reserve Play-Doh for special occasions (you know, times when I feel like deep cleaning the carpet). Since the kids don’t get it very often, they can spend a good chunk of time playing quietly before it gets chucked across the room or inserted into their mouths.

A few ideas on pushing the limits on their attention spans include using Play-Doh to give their Barbies (or Ninja Turtles if you’re into that sort of thing) a new outfit, using cookie cutters to make shapes, or playing a sculpting game where parents say an object or animal, and the kids try to create it.

Click here for a simple, NO COOK recipe!

I hope some of these ideas will be useful to you, and please comment if you’ve had success with an idea not on this list!