Hello, I am pre-op and I have a “habit” I need to change. Right now, my 10 year old niece and I meet over Zoom once a week and simultaneously try a snack from a different part of the world. I ship it from Amazon the week before so we both get it in time.

I’m wondering what else we can do. This bonding and shared experience has been really great during COVID and I don’t want to lose the shared experience, but it’s not sustainable as I approach surgery. I’ve thought of toys as a replacement, but neither of us really need toys every week. Books would be great but I don’t want to pressure her into reading by a deadline or anything like that, especially while she is in school.

What else could we do that we could share, without mixing unhealthy foods into it?

Thank you all for answering my questions that I’ve posed so far!

How about you both get the same coloring book, Mandala ones are great, that you both could color in while chatting then show off the finished product/picture at the end of the call to see how different and creative each of you are? Not sure how long your conversations last but that could be worth it. Then you don't need to buy anything new each week. Only once in a while when the book is full.

Mad Libs? LOVED them as a kid and now do the with my oldest granddaughter. You could each purchase a Mad Lib Book. Would also last a long time without the need to buy something each week.

You talked about books but didn't want a deadline. What if you each just took turns reading a chapter or page to one another? This could also span over several weeks until complete.

Karaoke? LOL Could be fun.

Freeze dance.

Memory game. Put a bunch of stuff on a tray and give them so many seconds to memorize them remove something and have them guess what was missing? Or have the write down what they remember.

Edited June 28, 20215 yr by SummerTimeGirl

Get her lined up with an app where you can video chat while playing a game together, like checkers or something simple. You could read her your favorite kid's books. You could try fun novelty items together instead of food...puzzles, little toys, new art supplies. And heck...there are lots of fun snacks that aren't that bad for you. You could send her bariatric snacks to try with you...get an honest opinion!

Also...this is gonna sound old fashioned....but if she's a creative kid....send her some puppets. You guys can do an online puppet show together, make believe play is still something 10 year old people enjoy....which is why they are so much fun:)

My 12 year old niece and I used to go to the nail salon together every two weeks pre covid. In between we text each other cool nail designs that people posted online or find cool decals and stuff for the holidays. Would someone take her to get her nails done once in a while if you gave her the money? Not sure if you are into this or if it would be affordable to do all the time. The salon I go to does her nails and toes for ten bucks because I’m there every two weeks anyways and her tiny nails don’t require much work. I just tip extra when they do any difficult nail art.

Does she like tea? If so, you could do the same thing with trying a new tea every week.

P.S. That is such a cool idea. I only have one niece and she's far from me so I rarely get to see her in person. She's just a baby now, but I'm going to keep this in mind for when she gets older because I would love to do something to stay connected with her.

That’s great that you spend that time with your niece. If you’re into nails. Look at https://maniology.com/. You basically rubber stamp nail polish designs. Very easy.

11 hours ago, BigSue said:

Does she like tea? If so, you could do the same thing with trying a new tea every week.

P.S. That is such a cool idea. I only have one niece and she's far from me so I rarely get to see her in person. She's just a baby now, but I'm going to keep this in mind for when she gets older because I would love to do something to stay connected with her.

She does indeed like tea! It could be cheaper than international candy, too.

I love these ideas people are giving you! You could also do a craft together, like making bracelets, or diamond painting, or painting wooden boxes or pottery that you buy at Michael's. You could also do charades too. Or origami. Or pick a different craft each time. There's a service called Kiwi Crate I believe that ships STEM or STEAM related boxes to kids at different age levels, that might work, but I'm not sure how much you would need to be in person to assist her. I hope you guys come up with some really fun things to do!

I wish I had great ideas, but everyone else gave you great ones. I just wanted to say you sound like an awesome aunt and I love that you do this with your niece!

Sent from my Nokia 7.2 using BariatricPal mobile app