All in the Family
Ideas for using family time for learning, family storytelling, and a building a sense of belonging.
Family bonding time isn’t limited to the people who live in your home. Extended family can be a great source of love and learning for children, and parents too. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins each have special roles, and different things to share. They can give your child love and encouragement…and a bigger sense of belonging.
Consider these ways to enrich children’s relationships with extended family:
- Help children explore their family history. Draw a simple family tree and talk about the people in your family.
- Invite grandparents, aunts, and uncles to share family stories. Kids especially love hearing what their parents or grandparents were like at their age.
- Make time for ways to connect together, near and far, through a family meal or outing, a call, or little love notes or messages.
- Encourage the special bond that can develop between cousins, especially for only children.
- Have your child pick out schoolwork or art samples to share with extended-family members over e-mail, on video chat, or at a family gathering.
- Invite local extended-family members to school events.
Children As Family Storytellers
With your help, children can use technology to become family storytellers.
Making Healthy Choices Around Digital Media: A Conversation with Vikki Katz, Ph.D.
Learn strategies for making good choices for your family's digital well-being from expert Vikki Katz, Ph.D.
C is for Choices
Elmo and Louie make choices on how and when to use technology as a family.
C is for Choice
A game about making choices, big and small.
“Celebrating Choices” Collage
Celebrate the ways you choose to spend time together as a family!
Making Connections
Watch this video and learn how Rosita and Abuela use screens as a tool for connection.
Staying Connected
A printable about using technology to stay connected.
