Connecting with grandkids is one of the greatest joys for grandparents. As Margaret Mead put it, “Everyone needs to have access both to grandparents and grandchildren in order to be a full human being.” And nowadays, one of the best ways to access your grandchildren is through email. Whether connecting through your child’s email account or your grandchild’s, this form of communication is quick, reliable and provides ample space for sharing stories, photos and more with one another.
Here are some of our favorite ways to connect with grandkids over email:
Ask for photos.
Sending photos is an easy way to stay up-to-date on your grandkids’ lives and keep them in the loop on yours. Ask your children to snap pictures during Little League games, school dress-up days or family outings. Then, have them help your grandkids send an email with captions and stories to go along with each photo. You can save these photos to your computer or print them out to hang on your fridge. And if you’re up for it, send your grandkids photos of your weekly activities as well! Wouldn’t they love to see Grandma’s recent trip to the theater?
Start a mini book club.
Whether you send your grandkids a book or check-out the same book from the library, starting a mini-book club together and running it via email can be a fun way to connect. While it’s not as conventional as meeting in person, having a book to discuss and talk about will bring more depth to your email conversations. Plus, you’ll get to learn more about your grandkids’ personality and character, and they’ll get a chance to practice reading. It’s a win-win.
Send photos of their parents.
Everyone loves to see pictures of their parents growing up, especially the ones of them going to prom with big, teased hair or riding a bike for the first time. You can easily scan photos into your computer through your printer or by taking them to a photo shop, such as FedEx Office. Send these photos through an email to your grandkids with funny or interesting stories about their parents.
Use e-cards.
An e-card for a birthday, Valentine’s Day or just to say hello is always a fun surprise to see in your inbox. American Greetings and Paperless Post are two websites which allow you to send free e-cards, and both have a plethora of design options. Your grandkids will love opening up their inbox to a surprise card!
Start a weekly routine.
Set up a day with your grandkids when you routinely send jokes or funny comics to one another as a special tradition that’s just for the two of you. This gives you the opportunity to have a tradition unique to your family and gives both you and your grandkids something to look forward to on that special day of the week. Plus, knowing you’ll hear from your grandchildren each week makes a long-distance relationship a bit easier.