How to Stay Connected with Out-of-Town Grandparents

If you have followed along with me for long, you have probably heard me mention that hubby and I are transplants to our area, and we are traveling through our parenting journey without any family support in town.

While most of our relatives live within driving distance, they are just far enough away from us that we do not get to spend nearly as much time with them as we would like.

We use photo books as a way to connect our kids with their family, and they serve as the perfect tool for teaching our little ones the names and faces of their relatives – especially their out of town grandparents.

As all of my kids have gotten older, they’ve continued to love having photos of their family around. Believe it or not, even my boys have photo albums they like to visit and revisit.

Some Special Photos for the Albums

Every few years, I’ve tried to make sure to have someone snap some extra special photos of my kids with their grandparents.

If you live in the Southeastern part of the United States, Tara Marie Photography has done an amazing job capturing these photos for us!

Maybe you already have a favorite family photographer where you live. Be sure to schedule a grandparent photo session with them soon.

This doesn’t need to be anything fancy. As you can see from the photos in this post, casual snapshots are perfect!

Call Often!

From the time our little ones are born, we want them to be able to recognize the voices of their loved ones. So we call our family as often as we can.

It is now fun to see our older kids taking the initiative to call their relatives. They like to tell them about their day and ask them all about what they’re doing at their house.

We went through a stage where one of our kids loved calling their grandparents so they could tell them their new favorite knock-knock jokes! ha!

Phone calls are are such a great way to encourage verbal communication skills and phone etiquette – both of which seem to be a lost art these days.

Sharing Photos

When something interesting is happening around here, texting a little blurb or sending out a picture of the moment is a perfect way to keep grandparents in the loop.

• Did one of the kids cook a yummy recipe?
• Would the grandparents enjoy seeing a photo of a special school project?
• Was a special award received at camp?
• Did you snap a fun family photo while you were out for ice cream last night?
• Have you planted something fun in the garden?
• Did your pets do something silly?

Send photos of these things! Share even the smallest of happenings – this has made all the difference for us!

It’s so nice for us to be able to reach out to family in this way.

Social Media

Originally, I began blogging as a way to stay in touch with our out-of-town family and friends.

While over time, my blog has developed beyond that, it still serves as an awesome way to share photos, happenings, thoughts/musings, etc. from our house – but there’s also social media.

While social media most definitely can not compete with time spent in person with loved ones, it can be a helpful tool to staying connected.

Video Chat

Our kids are always excited to do a video chat with their grandparents!

As they learn new things, they love sharing them with their grandparents.

When they were younger, this included things like their ABCs, a counting song, The Pledge of Allegiance, a new Bible verse, etc. As they’ve gotten younger, this has looked a little different.

Now they enjoy sharing speeches from their public speaking class, awards they’ve earned, science experiments they’ve put together.

It has been so special to watch them be able to celebrate their accomplishments with those that mean the most to them.

If you have a relative(s) who is uncomfortable with technology, introduce them to the ins & outs. Set up simple ways for them to access the various forms of social media, etc. Encourage them to take courses at the library that will help them keep up with fast-growing technology. Many grandparents are going to be interested enough in what their grandchildren are doing that they will be willing to make an extra effort in this area.

Send Snail Mail

While technology is fantastic (for so many reasons!), sending snail mail is fun, too. 

I usually allow my kids gather/prepare what we’re going to send. Then, depending on their age at the time, they address and/or decorate the envelope/packaging.

I allow them to use markers, stickers, anything they choose. I simply make sure the address and postage areas remain clear for the postal employees to see.

My kids like to include art work, school activity pages, little mementos, etc. It’s usually something simple that has made them think of their loved ones.

We have shipped baked goods and other special treats like David’s famous Savory Chex Mix. However, this can get a bit more complicated – and definitely more expensive!

When my kids were little, I loved shipping their thumbprints or handprints. Whenever I would send a hand-made creation like that, I would make sure to include the child’s current name, age, date, etc.

We would make a big deal about driving to the post office and actually mailing these special packages. Sometimes we would use our mailbox and talk about what it means when you put the flag up, etc.