Story Time with Grandma: Zoom, YouTube, & Creative Solutions in Challenging Times
Robin B. Zeiger
Grand-parenting is often a wonderfully freeing and loving stage in the second half of life. Grandma and Grandpa have earned the right to spoil grandchildren and offer loads of love, while carving out quality time. Then they are afforded the ability to “return” the child to the parents for the “harder work.”
However, in our current pandemic, elderly grandparents are challenged on many fronts. It may not be safe or even “allowed” to visit with younger children. Grandparents may be isolated and lonely. Perhaps they struggle to figure out if and when to visit. And if they are relegated to home, it may be hard to figure out the best way to maintain connections. Again and again I hear from colleagues and friends that it is especially challenging to build and maintain long-distance relationships with young children. The often all-too-brief interactions via phone or WhatsApp or Zoom are at best “polite” and at worst almost meaningless.
For almost two months, I have not visited my young grandchildren, due to the social distancing rules of my country. Thankfully my husband and I are busy professionals. Yet, I suddenly learned because we are in the category of the over 60 crowd, we have been renamed, “elderly.” More importantly, our children voiced their anxiety and desire to protect us from any potential harm. Thus, to make them feel better, my husband and I agreed to be extra cautious.
I must admit though, I began to long for the embrace of my grandson, 4 ½ and my granddaughter, almost 2. With this longing, I happened upon a possibility that was born in a marriage of Zoom and YouTube.
As a psychoanalyst, I had begun to use Zoom for on-line therapy in times of social isolation. I became fascinated with the possibilities of screen sharing on Zoom. I can show, watch, and/or listen to stories and images with patients. Why not my grandchildren?
Next enters YouTube. I have always been an avid reader. I loved to read with my own children and now have happily returned to this role as a grandparent. Searching the collection of YouTube I discovered a cornucopia of possibilities.
I knew what I did and didn’t want. I didn’t just want another type of “TV show” experience. I crave interaction with my two grandchildren. I jealously guarded the experience as “our story-time.”
Thus, I began to search in YouTube for “read aloud” stories. Someone else is inevitably reading the story. However, once the story is billed as “read aloud”, the words are usually clearly displayed. The next step was to mute the sound and then I become the reader. The “computer” automatically turns the pages. Even here, I am offered a way to control the speed of the book via YouTube settings. And of course, the computer offers the opportunity to pause on a page. This provides time to comment, explain or discuss something with my grandchildren as we read.
It took a bit of time to become relaxed and adept at the new medium. However, my heart melts when the Zoom session opens with my two little grandchildren sitting side by side on their miniature sofa.
There are challenges. Sometimes someone touches the screen and something goes wrong. And then there are those inevitable moments when the internet does not cooperate.
I try to choose books that please both children, but this is not always easy. My granddaughter has a much shorter attention span. I have learned to begin with books aimed at the 2-year old child. Then we move to my 4 ½ year old grandson’s needs. He likes choices and has begun to suggest his own categories and titles of books. This past week he introduced me to Ninja stories. Sometimes, my granddaughter becomes distracted and leaves our “circle-time” but that is okay too.
Smaller increments are better. We schedule story time about 3–4 times a week for about 15 minutes. A few times, I have served as “babysitter” while my daughter or son-in-law does something around the house. I look forward to this simple way that I can help from afar.
Simple How-To Guide for Reading via Zoom and YouTube
Create a Zoom account on-line. Zoom offers tutorials and there are many YouTube videos on how to use this tool.
Learn how to share a screen and invite your participants via a link.
Spend some time searching YouTube and/or Amazon.com books to find your favorite stories.
Takes some time to open the stories on YouTube and “play around with them first”. For example, some read aloud books do not display the words. Thus, you cannot mute these books. If you want to be the reader, make sure there are legible words.
Open at least one of the book links ahead of time so it is ready and waiting when you enter Zoom with your grandchildren.
Preview books that you don’t know much about to make sure they are not too scary or in conflict with your values and comfort zone.
Organize the details on the other end. Pick a time of day that is good for everyone. Organize a set space like “circle time” in pre-school.
“Engage” with your grandchildren, welcoming feedback and asking for suggestions.
With very young children, aim for a book that is very engaging and only a couple of minutes. The youngest ones probably need to sit in Mom or Dad’s lap to watch.
Remember to be flexible. And try, try again until it is “good enough.”
Most of all — have fun!
Thankfully my country has decided it is now safe enough for most of us grandparents to visit grandchildren. I am humble and hopeful. Thus, I am looking forward to a visit next week.
However, there is something I must confess. I have grown to like the simplicity of our living room story time. I can be in my PJ’s with my cup of coffee. I don’t need to go anywhere.
My grandchildren live about 2 ½ hours away so I can’t go there as often as I would like. Thankfully, I am not only a grandmother, but I am a busy professional. Thus, brief stories are a nice treat in the midst of my day.
As a psychoanalyst, I am aware at how much COVID-19 has altered our lives. Some of the changes are very difficult. Yet, sometimes crisis births amazing possibilities. I think I will continue to offer “story-hour” long-distance from time to time.
As a young child, I loved to go to the library with my mother. I think going to YouTube is a bit like going to the library.
Of course there are the classic tales like Little Red Riding Hoodand The Gingerbread Man.I was delighted to discover some of the favorite books I read to my children, such as If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and The Magic Tree House series. And of course there are the new favorites of my grandchildren’s generation like the stories of Ninja. I have to confess. Sometimes I mute the books and read. Sometimes I listen with my grandchildren to the YouTube reader. And sometimes we find a related animated story. My children grew up with the growing collection of Laura Joffe Numeroff. And I was delighted to learn that there are very cute animated stories building on her works.
A Few of My Recent Favorites for Young Children
Bird on My Head by Russell Ginns
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Animated Film by Eric Carle
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie: The Masked Mouse (animated tale)
If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Joffe Numeroff
Jack B. Ninja by Tim McCanna
The Ninjabread Man by C. J. Leigh
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin
Dolphins at Daybreak (#9) — Magic Tree House Series — by Mary Pope Osborne
Won’t you join me in the world of imagination… And if you are not a grandparent, maybe you want to adopt a child on-line. There are many parents who could use your help and love right now….
Robin B. Zeiger, Ph.D. is a free-lance writer; Jungian psychoanalyst; and wife, mother and grandmother. She can be reached at rbzeiger@yahoo.com
Thankfully my country has decided it is now safe enough for most of us grandparents to visit grandchildren. I am humble and hopeful. Thus, I am looking forward to a visit next week. But I must confess, I also like the simplicity of our living room story time. I can be in my PJ’s with my cup of coffee. I don’t need to go anywhere. My grandchildren live about 2 ½ hours away so I can’t go there as often as I would like. Thankfully, I am not only a grandmother, but I am a busy professional. Thus, brief stories are a nice treat in the midst of my day.
As a psychoanalyst, I am aware at how much COVID-19 has altered our lives. Some of the changes are very difficult. Yet, sometimes crisis births amazing possibilities. I think I will continue to offer “story-hour” long-distance from time to time.
As a young child, I loved to go to the library with my mother. I think going to YouTube is a bit like going to the library.. Of course there are the classic tales like Little Red Riding Hoodand The Gingerbread Man.I was delighted to discover some of the favorite books I read to my children, such as If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and The Magic Tree Houseseries. And of course there are the new favorites of my grandchildren’s generation like the stories of Ninja. I have to confess. Sometimes I mute the books and read. Sometimes I listen with my grandchildren to the YouTube reader. And sometimes we find a related animated story. My children grew up with the growing collection of Laura Joffe Numeroff. And I was delighted to learn that there are very cute animated stories building on her works.
A Few of My Recent Favorites for Young Children
Bird on My Head by Russell Ginns
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Animated Film by Eric Carle
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie: The Masked Mouse (animated tale)
If You Give a Pig a Pancake by Laura Joffe Numeroff
Jack B. Ninja by Tim McCanna
The Ninjabread Man by C. J. Leigh
Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin
Dolphins at Daybreak (#9) — Magic Tree House Series — by Mary Pope Osborne
Won’t you join me in the world of imagination… And if you are not a grandparent, maybe you want to adopt a child on-line. There are many parents who could use your help and love right now….
Robin B. Zeiger, Ph.D. is a free-lance writer; Jungian psychoanalyst; and wife, mother and grandmother. She can be reached at rbzeiger@yahoo.com
