Things to do together — in the kitchen, in the park, or over a video call when you live far apart.
Life story interview bookletA printable question booklet: the grandkids interview Grandma and Grandpa.🏡 At home (16)🌳 Outside (8)📱 Remote (video call or phone) (16)🎲 Classic games (15)
You need: A simple recipe, a bowl, cookie cutters
💡 Check with the parents about allergies first, and skip tasting raw dough. Write the recipe by hand on a card and let the grandchild decorate it.
You need: A photo album or a box of photos
💡 Snap the photos with your phone and share them with the whole family, with names and dates.
You need: Depends on the skill: knitting needles, a hammer and nails, a deck of cards
💡 Grandkids love being taught “for real”. Let them keep what they made.
You need: A large sheet of paper, markers, photos
💡 Ask other relatives to fill in the gaps — it becomes a family project.
You need: Flour, yeast, water, a bowl
💡 The smell of fresh bread becomes a memory.
You need: Nothing, or a phone to play music
💡 Record a short video of the two of you singing.
You need: Board games, cards
💡 Let them win sometimes — but not always.
You need: An old box with small treasures
💡 Let them choose one treasure to keep.
You need: Depends on the tradition
💡 Write the tradition down so it’s passed on.
You need: Pillows, blankets, chairs
💡 Grandparents can sit on a chair at the entrance — no need to crawl.
You need: Flour, salt, water, oil, food coloring
💡 Homemade dough is salty — watch that little ones don’t eat it.
You need: A box of buttons
💡 Small buttons are a choking hazard for kids under 3 — keep them for older grandkids.
You need: Pots, wooden spoons, a jar of rice
💡 Noisy but joyful — warn the neighbors.
You need: A notebook, photos
💡 Print copies for the whole family as a holiday gift.
You need: A jigsaw puzzle
💡 Start with the edges and sort pieces by color.
You need: Card stock, markers, stickers
💡 Keep a stack of handmade cards ready for the whole year.
You need: A pot, soil, seeds or a seedling
💡 Send each other photos of how the plant is doing between visits.
You need: A list of things to find, a pencil
💡 Choose a short, flat route, and bring water and a hat.
You need: Binoculars (optional), a notebook
💡 Put out a bird feeder and keep a list together through the seasons.
You need: A shopping bag, a few dollars
💡 A great way to practice money and talk about food.
You need: A blanket, a flashlight
💡 A free star map app or a printed chart helps.
You need: A blanket, sandwiches, fruit
💡 Choose a park with benches and restrooms nearby.
You need: Chalk, a jump rope, marbles
💡 Many games haven’t changed in a hundred years.
You need: Comfortable shoes, hand sanitizer
💡 Wash hands well after touching animals.
You need: A children’s book, a phone or computer
💡 If your grandchild has a copy of the same book, you can each turn the pages together.
You need: The same simple recipe in two kitchens
💡 Choose something easy, like pancakes or a fruit salad, and make sure a grown-up is in the child’s kitchen.
You need: A phone or tablet
💡 A great way to learn new technology without feeling silly about it.
You need: Paper and pencils on both ends
💡 Swap roles every round.
You need: A list of questions
💡 Let your grandchild prepare questions for you too.
You need: Paper, envelopes, stamps
💡 Kids love getting real mail with their name on it.
You need: A book
💡 Great reading practice, without the pressure of homework.
You need: Socks, markers
💡 Kids often tell a puppet things they wouldn’t tell a grown-up.
You need: Phones
💡 A simple way to stay in touch every day.
You need: A phone
💡 Little kids love repetition — the same song every call is perfect.
You need: A video call
💡 Your patience is a gift busy parents can’t always give.
You need: A list of riddles
💡 There are lots of riddles on Thinkabara’s riddles page.
You need: A phone
💡 Kids who live far away feel closer when they know your home.
You need: A phone
💡 The routine itself becomes something to look forward to.
You need: A notebook that travels, or a shared document
💡 A real keepsake you’ll both treasure.
You need: A phone
💡 Your voice becomes part of the bedtime routine.
Pick a letter and fill in a name, a place, an animal and a thing. Grandparents and grandkids are surprisingly even.
Pencil and paper, or chalk on the sidewalk. Quick, and great for younger grandkids.
Think of something; the other person asks yes-or-no questions to guess it. Works over the phone.
Guess the word letter by letter before the drawing is done. Choose easy words for young readers.
The classic game of bouncing a ball and scooping up jacks. Teach it the way you played it.
Each player flips a card and the higher card wins. Simple, and great for learning numbers.
Each person adds one sentence to a story. The sillier the better. Works over the phone.
Match the dots end to end. Good for counting and taking turns.
Each player repeats the list and adds one item: apples, bread, carrots… A memory workout for everyone.
Take turns connecting dots; complete a box and write your initial in it.
Hide a small object and guide the seeker with “warmer” and “colder”.
Look at a few objects on a tray, close your eyes while one is moved or removed, then guess what changed.
Set a regular video call, read a bedtime story over video, cook the same recipe in two kitchens, send real letters, or play phone games like 20 questions and round-robin stories.
Plenty can be done sitting down: board games, puzzles, photo albums, storytelling, the life-story interview, drawing by phone and teaching a skill like knitting or card tricks.
Let the grandchild be the reporter: they choose the questions, hold the phone to record, and draw a picture for each chapter. Keep each session short — one section at a time.
In the US, National Grandparents Day is the first Sunday after Labor Day in September.
Thinkabara