Help Grandparents Form Bonds with Your Kids

Often, due to time and distance, it's hard to get grandparents involved in children's lives. Here are a few steps you can take to forge tighter bonds between your children and their grandparents:

Step 1: Parents must make their needs known to their own parents. Roundabout discussions and indirectness only foster a greater divide in communications. Besides, what parent wouldn't want to know how much they're needed and wanted?

Step 2: A family must decide to give a high priority to having grandchildren and grandparents spend time together. That means the family should agree to pool financial resources to make this happen, especially if grandparents live far away. The family should develop a plan to ensure grandparents and grandchildren see each other as often as possible, either by having grandparents visit the grandchildren or having grandchildren visit the grandparents or through other measures described below.

Step 3: Give plenty of one-to-one time between grandchildren and their grandparents. They need undivided attention to strengthen their ties.

Step 4: Keep grandparents and grandchildren connected despite the distance.Ongoing contact will help relationships grow. Encourage your child to develop a closer bond with grandparents by trying the tips below.

• Visit often. If your parents live nearby, make an effort to carve time out of your busy schedule for regular visits. Encourage grandparents to drop by your home, and plan regular trips to see out-of-town grandparents. Even if visits are infrequent, anticipating and planning the next trip can help your child see the joy in spending time with relatives.



• Stay in touch using technology. Email letters, pictures and sound files of your growing child to his grandparents. If they don't own a computer, make videos or recordings during favorite activities, like taking a bath or playing with a pet. Or ask grandparents to record a reading of a favorite story and play it for your child before bedtime.



• Say cheese. Post snapshots of grandparents in a prominent spot in your home, and point them out to your child often. Or, place family pictures in a special photo album, and page through it frequently while naming the family members.



• Send a letter. Does your child love to receive mail? Send grandparents a box of postcards and some stamps, and ask them to send your child regular letters. Another way to encourage communication is to have your child write letters every week at the same time - both kids and grandparents will anticipate the regular communication.



• Pass it on. Most grandparents have hobbies or special skills, such as knitting, woodworking, or cooking, that they'd love to pass on to their grandchildren. Provide your children with the time and tools they need to learn these skills from their grandparents.



• Chart a family tree. Both younger and older kids enjoy learning about their ancestors and relatives. Encourage your child's grandparents to share stories of their families. You can even provide paper and drawing supplies so they can chart the family tree.