When your grandchildren feel a little too far away, it can be hard to get through the day. But thanks to modern technology and some creativity, you can stay connected with them even when they’re on another continent! This blog post shows you how to spice up your video calls.
Assemble a Jigsaw Puzzle
One day, call your granddaughter and tell her you want to assemble a jig-saw puzzle with her. Say that it’s been so long since you saw the family together in person, and it is as close as they can get right now. So start with an easy one – something like a map or animals.
A few weeks later, make it more challenging. Then, use your imagination or the Age of Learning platform to develop something else that will be fun for both of you! The main point is to keep doing things together – so long as she’s willing.
Read a Book over Zoom
You’ve heard of video chatting, but have you tried reading a book over zoom? Books are an interactive way to connect with your grandkids when you are apart, and it’s easy. Just find a nice spot with relatively good light, so you can easily see their faces. Then read some books!
Hold it up close enough so that both of you have an easy time seeing each other’s faces as well as reading the book together. You might find this less awkward than looking at them through zoomed-in video chat software.
Write and Send Each Other Mail or Postcards
Writing postcards to each other is an excellent way for grandparents and grandchildren to stay connected, especially during the pandemic. Ask your grandchild what they like about postcards and try sending them one on their birthday or as a surprise sometimes when you know they’re going through an extra challenging day at school. Postcards don’t require much technology, so even if the internet is not available in your area, postcard writing can continue to be fun!
Research and Make a Recipe Together
The next time you’re on a video call, try cooking together. You can use the other person’s favorite recipe to share with them or search online for recipes for ingredients you have.
Start researching how to make one dish together if you are not familiar with any others in their repertoire; think about what they like and then go from there (chocolate cakes- vanilla ice cream). Then, if everything goes smoothly, you can work on more dishes together.
Create a Virtual Family Picture Album
As the pandemic rages on, you might want to make sure that your grandchildren have access to family memories. One way to do this is by creating a photo book of your family’s pictures and then sending it out over video chat – everyone will be able to enjoy the same experience as if they were there in person!
The best part about making a virtual album is that you don’t need any fancy equipment or software. Instead, you can use things like Microsoft Photos for Windows (included free with all new PCs), add captions, rotate photos, change background colors, and more.
Conclusion
This blog post should help you feel more confident in your grandparenting skills and give you a few ideas to spice up video calls with your grandkids. So the next time you’re on a video call with your grandkids, be sure to keep some of these fun tips in mind, and you will have a great time.
Photo Credit: by Marcus Aurelius from Pexels
