Being a grandparent is one of the most amazing things. You get to have all the fun you did as a parent without any of the parenting LOL. But being a grandparent of multiple grands means that you have to make dedicated time for all of them, even the ones who don’t live close by. Being close with your grandchildren can be one of life’s greatest joys.
I am a grandmother to 6 beautiful children. Two live in NY, two in New Hampshire and 2 right around the corner from me in Miami. My husband and I love having 2 of our grands close by and try to help in any way. In between their busy schedules, we will Facetime with them and have them catch us up on what they’ve been up to. It’s a great feeling to be able to see them often and makes us wish we had them all close by. Because of this, we make it a point to plan weekend trips out to see them whenever we can, especially on long weekends. That way, we we can help our grandkids and get closer to our grandchildren.
It all starts with the planning of the trip. We let them know when we are coming to see them, we make a game out of counting down the days which builds excitement and we even talk about all the activities that we will be doing together (playing with their favorite toys, reading their favorite books, maybe even going to their favorite park or restaurant). The idea here is to make every moment of this weekend special, down to the planning.
Once we are there, my husband and I will take turns with each of them and switch. Our one on one time allows us to catch up, connect and build a strong bond. We like to do this before we all go out as a family. It’s our way of making them feel extra special. If you want to get closer to your grandchildren, I recommend these one-on-one timeframes.
If you’re a grandparent, you know as well as I do that kids love when their grandparents bring a present and it doesn’t have to be expensive. The dollar store or any discount store will do and they have plenty of fun activities that you can do alongside them (arts and crafts, coloring books, toy cars, board games). Honestly, what they remember most is all the fun they had with you.
Now, how do we keep this going when we’re away? At this point, we’ve mastered it since COVID robbed us of 2 years with our grandbabies. Facetime has been our savior and we try to make each call fun for them. Here are some tips on how to get closer to your grandchildren:
- Call during dinner or bath time. This is the best time to interact with them because they are already doing something and will sit and tell you all about their day.
- If dinner/bath time is not possible, set a day and time when they should expect your call. Afterschool, as long as they have no activities set, can be so much fun because they will tell you everything they did!
- Set a day during the week and read them a bedtime story. This is truly so special and one of our favorite facetime activities
- Sing songs! Have you heard the Flubble Bubble song? Our grands love it and will dance along to it. Facetime dance party!!
Living far from your grandkids doesn’t mean you are missing out. It just means, you need to figure out other ways in which you can connect with them and with today’s technology it is so much easier. You can help your grandchildren by being a positive influence and role model in their life, even when you don’t live close by.
I hope these tips help you get closer to your grandchildren and make your in-person moments even more special.
Head on over to the blog to find some fun crafts you can do with your grands and come say hi to us on Instagram.