Grandparents are struggling to stay connected with their grandkids during these days of quarantine. Save the Children suggests “5 Tips to Help Grandparents Stay Connected with their Grandkids, Despite Social Distancing:”
1. Be Honest. Explain that the virus affects older people differently than children. The virus is more likely to spread when people are together in the same place. By not seeing them, it helps protect you from getting the virus and getting sick.
2. Let them know this is only temporary. You will be able to be spend time with each other again once the spread of the virus has slowed down or ceased.
3. Validate their feelings. Reassure them that it is okay to miss you and invite them to share their feelings. Express how you are feeling, too.
4. Talk regularly. Express your love even if you’re not in the same place. Talk frequently by phone or by video chat through applications such as WhatsApp, Skype, FaceTime or Google Duo. Share one happy thing that you saw, ate or did today; give a compliment; or share a riddle or joke.
5. Organize a remote “play date.” Schedule time to connect remotely at the same time each day so they have something to look forward to. You can draw or do other art activities, read a story, sing a song, play a game or try a stress buster like those found at https://www.savethechildren.org/us/what-we-do/emergency-response/coronavirus-outbreak/resources/easy-at-home-relaxation-activities-to-help-calm-kids.
I have a friend who is lucky enough to live in the same town as her grandchildren. She often surprises them with warm, home-baked cookies on their doorstep. Another friend whose grandchildren live far away made beautiful, colorful cards specifically tailored to each grandchild’s interest. What a wonderful gift for a child to find something in the mailbox just for him or her!
Ellen Glazer, LICSW, in her article “Grandparenting in the Time of COVID-19” in Harvard Health Publishing, a publication of Harvard Medical School, suggests:
· If you have grandchildren living in more than one family, try creating a daily or weekly “cousins’ time.” Depending on ages, you can read all of them a story, or encourage the older ones, already readers, to read to younger siblings and cousins. Cousins’ time could also be an opportunity for you to share stories, perhaps from their parents’ childhoods. Or you might tell stories about it was like to live in a time before Velcro and microwaves, let alone iPhones and FaceTime.
· Instead of simply chatting, step in with “Nana Academy” or “Granpa Games.” You may begin to teach a young child to recognize the letters of the alphabet or create interesting history lessons for an older child. Show off dance steps or favorite songs from your youth and have them share theirs.
· Break bread together. Have a virtual meal with your children and grandchildren.
· Ask children what they do and don’t like about their new routines and talk together about what each person might like to look forward to.
Jim Memmot’s article “During a pandemic, grandparents find themselves grounded by their kids” in the Democrat-Chronicle, part of the USA Today network, tells of Liz Bishop Reardon of Brighton who sent a picture of her parents, Anne and Mike Bishop, standing outside her house, saying hello to their granddaughter, Maggie — so close and yet so far.
Cheryl Gravelle and her husband Ralph had a similar drive-by visit with their grandchildren, Ezra and Leona, and their parents, Joanne and Josh Gravelle. They practiced safe distancing. “Ezra understood there’s a ‘bad cold’ going around,” Cheryl wrote. “So, he could only give us a thumbs-up and not a hug.”
Per https://www.mommypoppins.com, there are several things grandparents and grandkids can do together on FaceTime or Zoom:
Blow bubbles.
Color.
Crafts for kids. https://www.thecrafttrain.com/
Exercise – wall pushups, use water bottles as weights, hop like a bunny or frog, waddle like a duck.
Finger crocheting. https://www.thecrafttrain.com/finger-knitting-for-kids/
Have a pillow fight.
Have a tea party.
Make a cardboard box city. Make a construction paper chain.
Make a contact paper collage. https://www.artbarblog.com/contact-paper-collage/
Make a sugar cube house or igloo.
Make bracelets, etc. from pipe cleaners.
Make handprint doodle art. https://www.thecrafttrain.com/?s=handprint+doodle+art
Mold play dough.
Paint with a Q-tip.
Paper airplanes.
Play charades. Word generator: https://www.wordgenerator.net/charades-generator.php
Play Pictionary. Word generator: https://www.thegamegal.com/word-generator/
Play with slime.
Read a book.
Simon Says.
According to the article “Free Games to Play with Your Grandchildren on FaceTime” by Dianna Mendez at https://www.wehavekids.com, there are 5 games grandparents can play with their grandchildren on FaceTime:
1. The Guessing Game. Take turns showing a small piece of an item in front of the camera. Possible items: scissors, postage stamps, hairbrush, crayon, small screwdriver, button and toy animals, erasers, dolls and vehicles.
2. ABC Discover Me. This game is similar to Highway Alphabet. Set a time limit to find the letters around the home. You must pronounce the letter and show it over the phone when you see it for points.
3. Noun-Question Matchup. One person writes a noun, such as "cat." Each person writes a sentence using the noun. Share your writing to see who has the best sentence.
4. Word Lookup. You say an unusual word (the funnier the meaning, the better!) and ask if your grandchildren know what it means. For example, you might say "malodorous" (which means "stinking"). If they don't know the word and can't guess its meaning, use it in a sentence. If they're still not able to guess the meaning, then have them look it up using a dictionary.
5. What Am I? Drawing Game. Describe an item to your grandkids, such as a cat, and see if they can draw it based on the imagery in your description.
If grandparents want to do something special for a grandchild’s birthday, here is a link to best virtual party performers and kids birthday parties to celebrate during COVID-19 isolation:
One of the performers is Bubbledad, performer/educator Chris Catanese. He has brought smiles to tens of thousands of kids and adults from Montauk to the Rocky Mountains. He’ll wow kids with a bubble show, creating square bubbles, bubble characters, smoke bubbles, bubbles inside of bubbles and more. Then, he'll teach kids some of his bubble-making secrets, sure to keep them busy for hours after the party ends.
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