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20 Activities for Grandparents to do with their Grandchildren
From a Distance

1. Send a jar with the exact number of M&M's as days that are left until your next visit. Instruct your grandchild to eat one a day until you are together again.

2. Send a package containing all the things your grandchild will need if he or she gets sick. For example, you could send a can of chicken noodle soup, crossword puzzles, a stuffed animal, etc

3. Send a "Heart Attack". Cut out heart shaped pieces of paper and write on them the things you appreciate about your grandchild. Place all the hearts in an envelope and send them to him or her.

4. Play hide and seek from a distance. Have the parent hide the treats you sent in certain predetermined "hiding spots". Give your grandchild clues over the phone, or in a letter, on where the treats are hidden.

5. Send to your grandchild's parent a bag of Hershey kisses with instructions to give a kiss to your grandchild each day and to tell him or her that it is a "kiss from your grandma or grandpa".

6. Create an "add-on" story with your grandchild through email or letters. Write a paragraph in your letter and then have your grandchild write the next paragraph in his or her letter.

7. Have a trophy made with your grandchild's name on it and the phrase "World's Best Grandson" or World's Best Granddaughter". Send the trophy to your grandchild with a letter explaining why you think he or she is the world's best grandchild.

8. Begin a Life's Lessons Booklet. Each week write down a few of the lessons you've learned in life and how you learned those lessons. When the booklet is full, send it to your grandchild to use as he or she begins or continues the journey of life.

9. Send your grandchild a homemade hug that he or she can wrap around him or herself. Cut a piece of material 1 yard long and 4-5 inches wide. Trace your hands onto 2 pieces of felt and cut them out. Glue the hands to the ends of the material and decorate the hug.

10. Write a letter on tissue paper, put it in a locket, and send it to your grandchild.

11. Buy a box of chocolates. Under each chocolate place a short note to your grandchild.

12. After a visit create a complimentary report card about your grandchild's interactions with others and send it to him or her.

13. Start a joint family history project. Ask your grandchild which relatives he or she would like to get to know better and together research stories and information about them.

14. Pick a day where you both will perform random acts of kindness. For example: do the dishes for mom, rake leaves off the neighbor's lawn, pay someone's toll, etc. Call each other at the end of the day to share how the day went.

15. Use an Internet crossword puzzle program to make a personalized crossword puzzle for your grandchild. Clues could include special times together, memories, or each other's favorite activities.

16. Have a star officially named after your grandchild. Call 1-800-282-3333.

17. Tell your grandchild who your hero is and why you respect him or her. Ask your grandchild who his or her hero is and why.

18. Write short notes on 3x5 cards before you leave. Hide them all over the house for your grandchild to find after you have gone.

19. Write a series of fictional children's stories describing the adventures you and your grandchild would have had together, if you would have grown up together.

20. Play Internet games together like Jeopardy or Wheel of Fortune, both of which can be found at sony.com. Other games that can be found on the Internet include golf, card games, chess, checkers, Sim City, strategy games etc...

One Additional Free Activity

Teach your grandchild skills in a sport, art, music, etc.. by making homemade instructional videos, featuring you as the coach or teacher.

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