Let a Distant Family Make Bedtime Story Videos for Your Kids
We’re all about connecting with friends and family via FaceTime, Zoom, and more right now. And for some children, especially older ones, it can be a great way to curb the feelings of isolation we all experience. But for young children who may not be old enough to really understand what’s going on, or be able to control their strong emotions, stay at home and physically distance themselves from their grandparents, cousins, preschoolers, teachers, and friends can be especially hard.
So Laura Marie Meyers came up with a nice solution that combines the benefits of technology with her son’s love of bedtime stories: She created a digital library of bedtime reading with some of her 3-year-old son’s loved ones. She explains on PopSugar :
In various group messages and e-mail threads, I have told loved ones that my son has had a difficult time and that I want to “surprise” him every day with performances of some of his beloved faces. I asked people to film them reading a children’s book – or, if they don’t have a book on hand, just say hello and say something about their day.
Over the course of a week, I collected about 20 videos that were sent to me through several Wednesdays. Most friends could text me about their videos, but since some of the files were large, others sent clips as email attachments, and others joined the shared album in iCloud to embed their videos.
Every weekday night for a month, Meyers wowed her son with a new bedtime reader, including his grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, godparents, friends, and her coworkers. He knew some people more than others, but she writes that he was thrilled even for the “new” people he met through these videos.
The best thing in my opinion is that while video chats can be great right now, Meyers has created a collection of digital bedtime stories that she can add and that her son can watch over and over again, depending on the story he wants to hear or the person he most wants to see.