My grandchildren live far away. I call them twice a week, but I think it's not enough. I want to be a part of their life. Can you advise exciting ways to communicate with kids?
Add your voice! Click below to answer. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
Can you FaceTime? Video chat? Ask how their day is going. Tell them to show you their drawings, or watch them play, etc.
You could also write letters/cards and ask them to send you a picture/card or something :)
My mum lives 6,000 miles away from her granddaughter and she makes sure they FaceTime/Skype several times a week. They also play mobile games together (like Scrabble and Pictionary), send each other cards, letters and drawings, and keep a countdown calendar for when they get to see each other.
You could Skype or FaceTime with them.
You do not mention their ages and I know from experience that 'quality time' experiences change over the years.
There are so many ways to communicate and especially through online video but you will probably find that chilren's attention span is not very long (at any age) and you will have to adjust your free time with their 'free' time.
You may also feel hurt sometime if they do not respond in a positive or interested/enthusiastic manner so you may have to think about all the things going on in their lives (on the spot) and let it go.
Younger children usually love to receive things in the mail so if they are still young (under 10) you might try making a recording describing some of the things you are doing or even reading a chapter from one of their favorite books (this was a favorite of my grandsons).
Of course, you would need a cheap cassette recorder and they would need a player and these are not a 'necessary' thing in homes anymore so this might not work for you.
I believe communication should be short so that children will not get bored but it helps if they do most of the talking while you do the listening.
It is my belief that Grandmas have to many times have a thick skin and accept the possibility that sometimes we may not seem very important in their lives. All of this will change from year to year and takes a lot of adjusting on our part.
It will be great to have some common traditions with your grandkids. For example, write letters or send cards. Modern kids like social media and different gadgets.
I do Words with Friends with one nephew (I don't have grands) and text with the other now that they are older.
When they were little, we would send them little surprises for things like Valentine's Day, St. Patty's Day, Halloween etc. These were usually small and at the time did not cost much to ship. Sadly postage has become out of control so that may be a budget killer.
When I was young, my favorite aunt and grandmothers sent me newspaper clippings of things that would interest me. Today, you can do that by sending links (they started this when I was in my young teens and I liked it).
You can also do things like create your own family's Facebook page and invite only family--no one else can see these and then you can share photos and videos. My hubby's family has one of those and it is fun to log in and see what the far flung family are up to.
I hope you find something that works for all!! Best wishes!
Post back with an update.
Add your voice! Click below to answer. ThriftyFun is powered by your wisdom!
