How to Help Your Children Bond with Your Foster Child
Deciding to foster a child is one of the biggest, most profound decisions you can make. You are embracing the opportunity to give a child in need a happy and safe home where they can feel supported and welcomed. What may throw you for a loop, however, is how your children react to a foster child coming into the home. Even if they are happy and excited about welcoming a foster child, it doesn’t mean an instant bond is created.
To help things go smoothly, here are some great ways you can help your children bond with your foster child, thereby creating a happy and harmonious home.
Engage In Activities Together – How to Help Your Children Bond with Your Foster Child
Icebreaker activities are great tools when getting to know people, so why not apply the same idea when it comes to bonding between your children and foster child? You can plan various child-friendly activities that help to loosen everyone up and put smiles on their faces. It’s only natural that your children and foster child will chat with one another during the activity, helping to create a laidback vibe that is ideal for bonding.
Some examples of child-friendly activities everyone can take part in include:
- A visit to the park
- An indoor soft play park
- A nature walk/hike
- Going to the library
- Playing board or card games
None of these are big involved activities nor are they focused on an in-depth itinerary. You want to keep things light and casual. You can also look into activities and events that your foster agency may be hosting.
Are There Any Shared Interests Between the Children?
As you get to know your foster child, this is also a great opportunity to learn about shared interests. Perhaps they like the same video games, movies or music that your children do. You can then mention it to your kids and provide that common ground that they may be looking for.
Make Time for Each Child Individually
It will also be important to make time for each child individually so that everyone feels included and equal. It could be something simple like asking about a child’s day at school, or how they are feeling that day. Your children and your foster child all need to feel important in the family dynamic.
The Bond Needs to Happen Naturally
Each of these tips can be extremely helpful when it comes to the bond between your children and your foster child, but remember it needs to happen naturally. You can help things along, and give it a little nudge, but in the end, the kids will set the pace and the bond will start forming when the time is right. This type of thing doesn’t tend to happen overnight; it takes time to cement and hold. Speak to your foster agency, such as fosterplus.co.uk for advice on forming a strong bond with your foster child.
What’s exciting is that you may be helping your children to create a lifelong bond with your foster child. Just be patient and give everyone the space needed to bond.
