Image © Pressfoto
We all know how hard it is to separate ourselves from our closest family during this unusual time of isolation. Grandparents and grandchildren everywhere are missing each other terribly. We’ve come up with lots of ideas for how children can remain in touch and continue to enjoy a fun and engaged relationship with grandparents (and other family or friends) – despite the physical distance.
Read on to discover video calling software, homeschooling activities to be done together, gift ideas, virtual baking classes plus heaps more fun ideas for how kids can stay in touch and feel close to their grandparents during this difficult time.
1. Play Competitive Games
If you’ve got kids with a competitive edge, then get them challenging Nan to a game of ‘Words With Friends’! Like Scrabble it’s a family favourite, only it’s played through an app that can be downloaded to your mobile device. Simply download the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play for Android devices, create an account and find family or friends through Facebook to take you on!
If trivia is more their thing, then Quiz Planet is another fun, turn taking app that can be played with friends and family on Facebook and will challenge even the brightest of quiz masters! It’s fast-paced and definitely competitive so if they’re ready for the challenge, kids and grandparents can download the app through Apple and Google Play.
2. Get Grandpa to Read a Bedtime Story
If storytime with their grandparents is something your kids are missing, then this cool app is a great way to reunite them with their favourite ‘Once upon a time’ moments. Children and grandparents can both download the Caribu app on their mobile devices and once signed up, they’ll be able to read, draw and play games together! There are a bunch of fun stories to choose from so kids can practice their reading to Nan – or Grampy can read them a bedtime story as they settle down for the evening. The extra fun part is the app doubles up as a video calling software so they’ll be able to see and chat with each other the whole time!
There are heaps of social media and photo-sharing apps available that make keeping in touch with family so much easier than it’s ever been before! Whether you choose to use Whatsapp or Facebook Messenger to send images of the kids on the go, or if you want to share entire albums through a platform like Google Photos, there are so many options that will make sure Nan and Gramps don’t miss out on fun times and growth spurts!
3. Stay in Touch via Zoom
We’ve been hearing lots about Zoom in the last twelve months and what a wonderful tool it is! Zoom has become a video conferencing platform of choice for staying in touch with family and friends, particularly if you’re hoping to catch up with a larger group of you all at once.
Zoom is very easy to use but we know that many parents or grandparents won’t have used it or even heard of it before, so here’s a quick rundown of what you need to do to get it set up!
- Visit the Zoom website and create an account.
- A confirmation email will be sent to the email address you provide. Click the confirmation link in that email to begin using Zoom.
- You will then be asked to provide your name and a password for your new account.
- The next step asks you to invite your colleagues but since this is for personal use, we’ll just hit ‘Skip this Step’.
- You will then be prompted to download the Zoom Meetings software.
- Once the software has downloaded, you’ll be able to test that your mic and camera are working properly and start a meeting. Meetings can be created instantly or you can schedule a meeting for later on.
- To invite others to your meeting, simply click ‘manage participants’ and then ‘invite’ and choose the email option. Pop in the email address of your loved one and they will be sent the meeting ID and password to join your meeting!
- Alternatively, you can add your family and friends’ email addresses to your contacts list and simply call them instantly by selecting their details.
Happy Zooming!
4. Homeschooling with Nan using Zoom
Zoom is a great way for kids to see and speak to their grandparents about the fun they’ve been having at home, but it also has some handy and helpful aspects too! With many parents finding themselves in a situation where they’re juggling work, homeschooling for siblings of different ages as well as the usual household duties that come with running a family, Zoom allows grandparents to step in occasionally and lighten the load!
Little kids will love having their Nanna read a book to them or getting Gramps to listen to the story they’ve written as part of their class’ activities, PLUS grandparents will love having the time and interaction with their grandkids as they keep up to date with their developmental growth. This one is a WIN-WIN!
5. Order a Care Package for a Special Delivery
With online delivery services continuing to operate and often being the best option for getting much-needed groceries to the homes of Central Coast residents, why not enlist some little helpers in putting together a special care package for Nanna and Grandpa? Kids can help to choose a selection of goodies for their grandparents to receive in the mail – think Granny’s favourite coffee beans or a pampering moisturiser, a set of gardening gloves and seeds for Pops, or even a box of Turkish Delight that the two of them can fight over! And don’t forget to leave a little delivery message to say who it’s from!
6. Bake Together over Zoom
Spending so much time at home is a wonderful opportunity for kids to hone those culinary skills and what better way to connect with Gran than to bake Anzac Cookies using her famous family recipe! Schedule in a time and let Granny take the little ones through the secret steps to creating her legendary biscuits – if you’re lucky, they may even be ready in time for morning tea!
7. Write Them a Letter or an Email
We all know how wonderful it feels to receive a handwritten letter from a loved one and so an excellent way for children to keep in touch with their grandparents and other family members is to have them pen a good, old-fashioned letter (or even an email)! As well as keeping Nan up to date with what they’ve been up to during their time at home, it’s also a great way to get them practicing their spelling and literacy skills!
8. Dancing, Yoga or P.E. with Granny
If you’ve got the hang of using Zoom, then why not invite Grandad along to a session of Cosmic Yoga? Using the Zoom software, kids can share their screen with their grandparents as they follow Popcorn the Dolphin into the ocean, venture into outer space with Mike the Cosmic Space Monkey, or head off on an adventure with the Wizard of Oz. And if Gramps is feeling up to it, he can join in the stretchy fun too!
9. Send Them a Personalised Greetings Card or Gift.
Children will love going through photos and choosing their favourites for a family album that can be mailed directly to Grandma. Online photo printing services such as Snapfish or Vistaprint allow you to design your own personalised family gifts such as photo books – you can even send Pops a mug with a picture of their little faces on so he can see them every time he reaches for his morning coffee. Or if it’s a special occasion, kids can send a greetings card through Moonpig where they’ll be able to choose their own design, upload photos, and add their own personalised message.
10. Share Photos on Social Media or Photo Sharing Apps
