How to Create a Strong Bond with Grandparents

Grandparents can have such an influence on our child’s life, but how can we help create a strong bond with grandparents?  I am so blessed that my kids get to live close to one of their grandparents and she her almost daily!  Many of you are not in that situation though!  You may be like I was growing up.  My closest grandparent was five hours away.  I loved them, but I only got to see them a few times a year.  There is hope though no matter what the physical distance is, for building a strong bond with grandparents!

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In Person Options

Actually seeing grandparents is probably the best and most natural way to create a strong bond with them.  Of course grandparents are known for being great baby sitters and helpers to parents!  My mom watches my kids often when we go out and my kids are able to build memories with her during this time.  Another way to connect in person is to have one on one time with grandparents.  Each of my kids have had turns spending the night at grandma’s and getting to be spoiled by her.  You can also just take turns going to to the park one on one with grandparents or having lunch together.  Time together is more important than what you are doing!

If your grandparents don’t live close by, don’t fear!  There are still ways you can connect in person.  My husband’s parents live a few hours away and he started once a quarter, taking one of our kids with him to visit his parents.  Then they get some one one one time with these grandparents.  Another idea is to use the summer!  I know a family that each kids gets a few days by themselves at their out-of-town grandparents during the summer months.  It definitely take some planning when there is more distance, but you can do it!

Make a Date

One of the best tools if you don’t live close to your grandparents is video calling!  This is something that wasn’t really an option when we were growing up, so we may not think about it naturally.  There are so many video calling apps.  One thing I would recommend if you are doing video calling is to set a regular date.  It is easy to have the desire to regularly video chat, but making a consistent plan will help build that strong connection.

If you have multiple kids, I would also suggest either having each child talk one at a time for a set amount of time, or having separate video call dates for each child.  We have had enough video calls to our kids when they are so filled with excitement that they are just talking over each other.  Not the kind of communication that will build the best bond!  Letting each child talk by themselves will help have more meaningful conversations for everyone!

Messaging Options

As your child gets older there are lots of different messaging apps that can be utilized for communication with grandparents.  My kids use Kids Messenger and grandparents can be approved contacts for them.  This means they can send silly pictures, voice messages or text messages to their grandparents!   

Another option is the app Marco Polo.  This would definitely be for older children, but the app allows you to record a video message and send it to another contact.  Whenever that person has time, they can listen to the message and then respond with their own video message.  This would be a lot of fun for grandparents that live far away.  You could even ask them a question about their lives in each message.  What was your first day of high school like?  Tell me about your first job?  What made you want to marry Grandpa?  The possibilities are endless!! 

Whatever method you choose, helping your kids build a bond with their grandparents is worth the effort!  As my kids get older, I see more and more the value of having other adult voices (that I trust), in my child’s world.  As I become less cool, my mom has continued to be cool to my tween!  Knowing my mom is continuing to encourage the same love and faith in her that I would, is priceless!

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