Note (October 2026): This guide now attributes its research claims about grandparent-grandchild closeness to the specific studies behind them, and corrects how online watch parties work (they rely on add-on tools such as Teleparty or Apple’s SharePlay rather than a built-in Netflix feature).
Grandparents can connect with grandchildren who live far away by playing turn-based online games, reading stories over video chat or as recordings, watching shows together with a watch-party tool, holding regular planned video calls, working on shared projects by email or post, and swapping photos. Regular, planned contact that suits the child’s age works best.
Key Takeaways
- Turn-based games such as Words With Friends let grandparents and grandchildren play without being online at the same time.
- The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) treats video chatting with family as a good shared use of a screen, even for infants, as long as a parent joins in.
- Watch parties need an extra tool: Teleparty (formerly Netflix Party) for browsers, or SharePlay during a FaceTime call on Apple devices.
- Studies link emotionally close grandparent-grandchild relationships with fewer depressive symptoms in both generations, but they show associations, not guaranteed outcomes.
- A fixed weekly call plus one ongoing shared project keeps contact regular without overloading either side.
Staying close to family is one of the things many people value most as they get older. One of the more beautiful things in life is to not only have a healthy family but to also be able to connect with them, no matter the variables of distance or generational age differences.
Video calls, messaging apps and online games now let grandparents keep in regular contact with grandchildren who live far away, which matters most for older adults who cannot travel easily. There are even apps for grandparents who would want to see and talk to their children and their children’s children in real time.
These tools became a necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many older people had to stay physically apart from family. The World Health Organization declared on 5 May 2023 that COVID-19 was no longer a public health emergency of international concern, but many families kept the remote habits they formed during that period.
As no form of human interaction is ever one way, it is important to note the effect that remaining close to grandparents has on their grandchildren. When grandparents have a high-level of involvement it improves the wellbeing of their grandchildren, as grandparents provide acceptance, patience, love, stability, wisdom, fun and support to their grandchildren which can lead to fewer behavioral and emotional problems.
Research points the same way, although the studies show associations rather than proof of cause. A Boston College study of 376 grandparents and 340 adult grandchildren from the Longitudinal Study of Generations found that an emotionally close relationship was associated with fewer symptoms of depression in both generations. An analysis of the Berlin Aging Study published in Evolution and Human Behavior in 2017 found that mortality risk was 37% lower for grandparents who provided occasional (non-custodial) childcare than for those who did not, and a 2014 Australian study of 186 women in the journal Menopause linked minding grandchildren one day a week with the highest cognitive test scores, while five or more days a week predicted lower scores.
Fostering these types of relationships is one of life’s few win-wins. So to cultivate a close relationship between grandchildren and grandparents, frequent contact must be encouraged. Whatever the challenges, these are the things that should be done to start and to keep intergenerational solidarity strong between the two sets.
Creative Ways To Connect With GrandChildren
Play Games
The beauty of being around in these times is the ability to take offline favorites and have them be easily translatable online. Board games such as Scrabble and Pictionary now can be enjoyed in their online versions through a desktop/laptop browser or smartphone.
Turn-based games are especially useful because neither the grandparent nor the grandchild needs to be online at the same time. Words With Friends, a Scrabble-style word game released by Zynga in 2009, sends a notification when it is the next player’s turn, so one game can run for days and give both players a reason to keep chatting. A fantastic bonding opportunity.
Read Books Together Online
Reading together plays an important role in strengthening the bond between grandparents and grandchildren. Now grandparents can tell stories over video chat or make an audio recording of reading a book that their grandchildren could listen to later.
Brain-imaging research supports reading aloud to young children. A 2015 study in the journal Pediatrics by researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital scanned 19 children aged 3 to 5 and found that greater reading exposure at home was associated with more activity in brain areas that support language, mental imagery and understanding stories.
Some smartphone and tablet apps also let a grandparent flip through digital picture books with a child during a video call, and some build games and books into the call itself, so the two can read together wherever they live.
Watch TV Together
Streaming services like Netflix can be watched together from different homes with a watch-party tool, so a grandparent can enjoy a grandchild’s favorite shows at the same moment. Watching together gives both generations something to talk about afterward, and for young children the AAP encourages adults to co-view content rather than leave a child to watch alone.
Netflix and Disney Plus do not need to offer the feature themselves: Teleparty (formerly Netflix Party) is a browser extension for Chrome, Edge and Opera that syncs playback and adds group chat, and its free version supports nine services, including Netflix, YouTube, Disney Plus and Max (as of October 2026). Each viewer usually needs their own subscription to the streaming service. On iPhone, iPad and Mac, Apple’s SharePlay, introduced with iOS 15 in 2021, lets people watch supported video together during a FaceTime call.
Video Chat
Talking over video gives grandparents the opportunity to do activities together like drawing and cooking virtually but in real time. Video chat also suits the youngest grandchildren: the AAP gives video chatting with family members on FaceTime or similar apps as a good example of parents and infants using a device together, with the parent explaining who is on screen and what is happening.
Grandparents should try to set up regular video calls with their grandkids and plan what collectively they are going to do in advance. That way both grandparents and grandchildren would have something to look forward to until the next time they can physically be around each other.
Work On Projects From Afar
Grandparents could write the first paragraph of a story and send it via email. Then have their grandkids add a paragraph. Keep going back and forth until the story is finished. There is also the ability to do the same thing with a progressive picture. Start a picture on a large piece of paper.
Leave it unfinished with lots of room. Then the grandparent could physically mail it to their grandchildren so they can add to it and so on. Who knows, maybe a grandparent could start planting from the same seeds in a separate garden from their grandchildren and compare notes as the plants grow.
Share Special Photographs
Grandparents should ask their grandchildren to show what their lives are like by taking pictures of their friends, pets, schools, or trips. The grandchildren could ask their grandparents to see embarrassing photos of their parents when they were young. This could be a secret way to share jokes and bridge the generation gap.
Which Activity Suits Which Age?
The best way to connect with a grandchild depends on the child’s age, attention span and how much help a parent can give. The table below matches each idea in this guide to the ages it usually suits.
| Child’s age | Activities that work well | What the parent or grandparent should know |
|---|---|---|
| Under 18 months | Short video calls with a parent holding the child; singing, waving, showing toys | The AAP says infants under 18 months learn best from real-world interaction and supports video chat with family when a parent joins in. |
| 2 to 5 years | Picture-book read-alouds over video, recorded bedtime stories, show-and-tell calls | Keep calls short and repeat favorite books; a parent may need to set up the device. |
| 6 to 12 years | Turn-based word and board games, shared drawings or stories, watch parties, photo swaps | Agree on game apps and screen time with the parents first. |
| Teenagers | Messaging, shared playlists or shows, collaborative projects, asking for tech help | Let the teenager choose the platform; short regular messages often work better than long calls. |
Tools Grandparents Can Use
The tools below cover most of the ideas in this guide. Availability and features can change, so check the current version on the app store before setting one up.
| Tool | What it does | Devices | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|
| FaceTime with SharePlay | Video calls plus watching or listening to supported content together | iPhone, iPad, Mac | Families who all use Apple devices |
| Teleparty | Syncs streaming playback and adds group chat; formerly called Netflix Party | Chrome, Edge and Opera browsers | Watch parties on a laptop or desktop |
| Words With Friends | Turn-based, Scrabble-style word game with notifications | Smartphones and tablets | Games across time zones |
| Email and post | Round-robin stories, shared drawings, letters and photos | Any | Grandparents who prefer not to use apps |
For more game ideas the whole family can play, see the board games guide by type, theme and group size, or try a quick daily puzzle such as the Blossom word game and compare scores.
How Do You Set Up a Regular Routine With Grandchildren?
A regular routine works better than occasional long calls because both sides know when the next contact will happen. These steps keep it simple.
- Agree on a time with the parents. Pick a slot that fits school, naps and time zones, such as the same evening each week.
- Choose one main tool. Use the video app the family already has, so no one needs a new account just for the call.
- Plan one activity per call. A story, a game, a recipe or a show-and-tell gives the call a purpose, especially with young children.
- Run one ongoing project between calls. A round-robin story, a shared drawing, a turn-based game or a seed-growing comparison keeps contact going between calls.
- Keep it short for young children. End while the child is still enjoying it rather than when attention has run out.
Parents who want to review which apps a child uses can look at this guide to parenting apps for kids’ safety.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Bypassing the parents. Agree on apps, games and screen time with the child’s parents before suggesting anything new.
- Making every contact a long call. Short, regular contact usually suits children better than an occasional hour-long call.
- Only receiving help. The Boston College study found that grandparents who only received practical help without giving any back had the most depressive symptoms, so look for ways to contribute, such as teaching a skill or telling family stories.
- Posting photos without asking. Check with the parents before sharing grandchildren’s photos publicly online.
- Choosing content only for yourself. Let the grandchild pick some of the shows; this list of popular Netflix series and shows can help with ideas for older children.
Why Does a Close Grandparent Relationship Matter for Children?
A close grandparent relationship gives a child another trusted adult to talk to. A 2025 paper in Innovation in Aging, based on 205 children followed in a Detroit study across 1992, 2005 and 2015, found that childhood closeness to a grandparent was nearly significantly associated with fewer depressive symptoms in midlife, largely through higher self-efficacy. The result was borderline, so it supports the idea rather than proving it. For other ways families can support children’s wellbeing, see these tips to improve your children’s mental health.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can grandparents stay connected with grandchildren who live far away?
Grandparents can stay connected through planned weekly video calls, turn-based online games, recorded or live read-alouds, watch parties, and shared projects sent by email or post. Agreeing on a regular time with the parents matters more than which app is used.
Is video chatting with grandparents okay for babies?
Yes. The American Academy of Pediatrics gives video chatting with family members as a good example of a parent and infant using a device together, with the parent joining in and explaining what is happening on screen.
How can grandparents watch movies with grandchildren online?
Grandparents can use a watch-party tool such as Teleparty, a browser extension that syncs Netflix, Disney Plus, Max, YouTube and other services and adds chat, or SharePlay during a FaceTime call on Apple devices. Each household usually needs its own streaming subscription.
What games can grandparents play with grandchildren online?
Turn-based word games such as Words With Friends work well because players do not need to be online at the same time. Online versions of classic board games and simple daily puzzles are also good options for school-age children.
Does being close to grandchildren help grandparents?
Studies suggest it can. Research from Boston College linked emotionally close grandparent-grandchild relationships with fewer depressive symptoms in both generations, and a Berlin Aging Study analysis found 37% lower mortality risk among grandparents who provided occasional childcare. These are associations, not proof of cause.
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