What is InCommon Buddies?

As people of all ages spend more time at home over the coming months, we’re all keen to keep in touch - and in particular with our older friends and family members. But knowing what to talk about during these strange and uncertain times can sometimes feel hard. 

InCommon Buddies provides families with resources that keep the young and old connected. Our resources are designed to be used over the phone or online, facilitating fun games and activities for children and their grandparents or older friends. Buddies activities promote intergenerational learning, allowing children and older people to teach one another about their experiences of the world, while bringing each other some joy and laughter along the way.

If you are a parent from one of our partner schools, you can sign up to pair your child with an older resident at a local retirement home here.

How does it work?

Each week, InCommon releases a set of Buddies activities which are designed to be used by 7-11 year olds and their older friends or relatives, either over phone or video calls. Your child can do the whole week’s activities in one call, or across several calls. Or you can pick and choose which ones suit you and your family best.

As a parent, all you need to do is download each week’s activities and help your child to phone or video call their older friend or family member. Then simply let them get chatting and learning more about one another using Buddies activities.