Our kids love video chatting with their grandparents. Since March we’ve sang songs, told jokes, read stories, played musical instruments and shared different crafts, drawings, science activities, and toys. However, this time of year is usually when we are preparing for our summer trip to the Midwest to visit them. It is very sad to skip this yearly trip. To keep everyone’s spirits up we’ve decided to get a bit more creative and try a few new virtual activities with grandma and grandpa.

To start, our kids played Battleship with them. It was great fun! The kids are excited to play again soon. We are excited to also try Uno, Yahtzee, Spot It and Pictionary over video chat this summer.

Later, the kids asked to draw with grandma while video chatting. It was a nice and relaxing afternoon for us all. Our kids loved chatting with grandma while drawing and then showing off their artwork at the end. We hope to also build with Lego and blocks together and show off all of the creations.

This summer we plan to get even more adventurous and try baking waffles or brownies at the same time as grandma and eating them while video chatting. Or watch grandma sew on her sewing machine or grandpa build a birdhouse out of wood. I’ve enjoyed seeing our kids continue to bond with my parents over the past few months and I’m glad my parents are willing to try all of these different activities with their grandkids.

What are your favorite ways to stay connected to grandparents who live far away?