It used to be that one of the best parts about sending our kids to school were all the celebrations built into the school year and academic calendar. You may be wondering how distance learning will affect how your child can celebrate class parties, events, and holidays with their virtual classmates — especially if you are terrible at marking milestones in your child’s school year. After all, these are the social interactions that are so vital to making your child feel as if they belong.
With that in mind, here are some ways you can mark the holiday season and important dates during the school year.
Celebrating the holidays with virtual classmates: Party planning for online classes
How to celebrate with classmates safely in-person
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends you only gather with people within your household, especially in light of a recent surge in COVID-19 infections partially attributed to small household gatherings.
If you do decide to gather, pediatrician Dr. Steph Lee advised keeping activities outdoors due to better ventilation and a lower risk of getting infected with the coronavirus. Also, make sure to keep the number of guests to a minimum. “The amount of people that’s safe to gather will vary by local infection percentages," Dr. Lee, the spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), told Mom.com.
One way to celebrate safely in-person is with a socially distanced parade or drive-by. Put out some holiday decorations and then, at a designated time, invite friends to drive-by in their cars with signs, songs, and lots of cheering to celebrate while your kids participate from the porch or front yard. You can encourage others to do the same, and then go on a classmate home tour. You can even vote on which houses were the most creative, most extravagant, most festive — even most random. While not the same thing as meeting in person, it can be comforting to see our friends in person — even from six feet away.
