How To Connect with Your Grandchildren Across the Miles

As a grandparent, you play an important role in your grandkids’ lives, no matter how far apart you live or how busy your schedules are. Your love, support and positive influence contributes to their mental and emotional well-being — and these vital relationships boost your own health and happiness, too!

Here are seven practical ways to stay connected with grandkids across the miles, plus tips on making the most of your in-person visits.

1. Become Pen Pals

Your grandkids probably aren’t sending or receiving physical letters in the mail. This is a gap you can easily fill! It will also create a special connection between you — and will give you both something to look forward to. Don’t know what to say? Write about your daily activities and ask questions about theirs, and share stories about your life when you were their age.

In-person tip: Bind all the letters in a keepsake book to share when you’re together.

2. Embrace Read-Alouds

If your grandchildren are young, read them short bedtime stories on a video call. When they get a bit older, choose a longer book and read a chapter each time. You’ll look forward to discovering how the story progresses with each video chat.

In-person tip: Continue the reading tradition as you physically tuck them in or just turn pages together. You can also go book shopping and let your grandkids choose your next long-distance read-aloud.

3. Play Games Online

Did you know you can play some of your favorite card or board games virtually? Enjoy family games together — even if you live in different time zones. With free online classics like Chess, Scrabble, Uno and countless others, you can connect in a way that works with everyone’s schedule.

In-person tip: Play the physical games and compare the results: Is one of you the winner no matter where you play, or does it change based on how you play?

4. Share Photos

Purchase a digital picture frame (like these from Loop or Frameo) that allows family members to text or email their photos directly to your frame. That way, you can enjoy an ever-changing slideshow of their antics and accomplishments, right in your home. You can also send a digital frame to your grandkids so you can share photos of your latest adventures.

In-person tip: Commemorate your time together by taking plenty of photos — posed and candid — to add to your family frames.

5. Follow a Family Recipe

Want to spend time with your grandkids in the kitchen? If they’re old enough, consider scheduling a virtual cooking or baking lesson. Send them a recipe beforehand, then set up a laptop or tablet in your kitchen so you can walk them through each step. When the food is ready, enjoy it together and talk about the experience.

In-person tip: Kick things up a notch by shopping for ingredients and cooking a whole meal together.

6. Grow Something New

Send your grandchildren some seed packets or a small gardening kit (like this one), and keep some of the same seeds for your own garden. Then, plant the seeds together on a video call. Enjoy comparing your plants’ growth over time to see how the same seeds grow in different places.

In-person tip: Shop for new seeds together, and plant them as you work side by side.

7. Keep the Conversation Flowing

If you want to get your grandkids talking, ask to share calendars with them so you know what’s going on in their lives. That way, you can ask specific questions about their soccer game, science project or sleepover rather than the generic “How’s school going?” Cap off your calls with a few “Would you rather” questions to get each other thinking (and laughing!).

In-person tip: Attend any games, recitals and ceremonies you can, and take advantage of car rides together to talk and make deeper connections.

Your grandchildren may live far away, but they’re never far from your heart. With a bit of planning, you can make the most of every moment and build a bond that lasts a lifetime.