MORE IDEAS TO BOND WITH YOUR GRANDCHILDREN BY LONG DISTANCE
GRANDPARENTING
1. Are you a good story teller?
Get your grandkids involved in writing a children’s story via email or letters. Start the book however you want, then
send what you wrote to the grandkids. Ask them to continue for a few paragraphs. They can take the story where ever they want,
the sillier or most adventurous the better.
2. Scavenger Hunt: You will need
your grandchildren’s parents help to accomplish this by hiding clues around the house that will ultimately lead the
children to something special you have sent. It can be as simple as a special I miss you card or a candy bar.
3.
If you discover that your grandchild is sick at home, send a care package filled with puzzles, books,
a coloring book and crayons. Something that your grandchild loves to do or look at is even more special.
4.
Send them a first place blue ribbon, or a small trophy with their name engraved on it for “the
best 6 year old” for example with an important looking letter explaining why they earned the first place ribbon in your
eyes. 5.
Send a CD in your own voice telling them a special story about an event that happened to you when you
were growing up. Ask them to do the same… A sort of getting to know all about you assignment.
6.
Start doing genealogy with your grandkids. A good way to begin is doing a search for your own parents
and grandparents on the internet. There are several good sites available. If you already have photos, birth
certificates etc., share them with the grandchildren. Help them discover how they came
to live where they do, and where the family came from. Then study a little about those countries and share things you discover
when you talk with them.
BUILD/ PAINT
A BIRDHOUSE TOGETHER
Share Family Recipes
Your
nona’s (that's grandma in Italian) authentic spaghetti recipe can live on when you share her special ingredients,
along with stories about your memories with your own grandparents by logging onto Skype while you prepare the meal and
share memories of your own grandparents. Not only will you be passing down your family history and customs etc. but it encourages
your grandchildren to open up and share their experiences with you.
Teach Your Grandkids Morse
Code
Remember when you were young and received secret messages from products advertised on television.
Things haven’t changed. Kids today still love being able to communicate in secret. If you don’t live close to
your grandkids, it’s a fun way to communicate with them via email or letters. Simply key in dots and dashes to make
the code.
Bird-Watching and Bug Identifying
Walk your neighborhood or
a nearby park with a notebook, pen, binoculars, and a camera as you search for insects and birds. Make notes and use books
and pamphlets to identify them. Exchange photos online. We actually purchased a little kit with tweezers, a cage, and magnifying
glass they can use every time they visit us.
During migratory seasons, this could be especially interesting. One
more thing you can do from a long distance that is a bonding activity and when your grandchildren spot a new
bird and get excited about it the experience becomes exciting for all of you.
STORY TIME...Help your grandkids use their imagination by telling a story together. You start telling
the story...after about thirty seconds, it's their turn to tell the next thing that happens, and back and forth..
PHOTOGRAPHY Take the Grandkids on a Photo Shoot. It's a good chance
to get outside and enjoy retirement with the little guys. You can do this even in your own back yard if you can't get around
like you used to do.
ROCK HOUNDING Kids, especially little boys love
rocks and sticks. We've even hidden a few arrowheads we bought at flea markets for them to find. I promise they will remember
doing this activity with you.
BUILD A BOAT Together. Take a few pieces of
wood and nail them together. It doesn't have to be pretty. They will love doing this with you and taking it to the pool or
a pond and floating it.
THE NEW GRANDPARENT ICON....
IS IT YOU?
More and more boomers are choosing, or forced to
have long-distance relationships with their families. As our society becomes more transient and our children move out of the
towns and cities they grew up in for employment opportunities/advancement, or we ourselves move away to more affordable towns
and cities as we approach retirement, the family dynamics change. Our roles morph from cookie baking grandmas into READ MORE
