Figuring out how to connect grandchildren and grandparents who live far apart is a challenge for many families in Canada, spread across provinces and territories — and around the world. Physical distance makes time together harder, but it is rarely what steals the bond. What usually fails is not the distance itself, but relying on a single way of keeping in touch — usually the video call — that does not work the same at every age.
Why video calls alone often fall short
A video call with no clear purpose wears thin quickly, especially with young children: without an activity to give the conversation shape, “Hi, how are you?” runs out in a few minutes and the grandchild loses interest. It works much better when the call has an anchor — reading the same book together, making a recipe at the same time, a show-and-tell with a toy or drawing. With teenagers, the opposite is often true: they connect better through asynchronous voice messages, on their own time, than through a scheduled call that competes with their routine.
Create rituals for keeping in touch
- A weekly video call, always at the same time and with an agreed activity.
- Reading the same story or watching the same movie “together,” at a distance.
- Exchanging short audio clips on the web during the week, with no pressure to reply right away.
Turn the bond into something lasting
These conversations can become a grandparents’ memory book: even from far away, the grandchild helps record the grandparent’s story, and the two grow closer in the process, creating something that outlasts the next scheduling mix-up.
Close where it counts
Distance on the map is unavoidable; distance of the heart is not. Keeping grandparents and grandchildren connected — and recording that relationship as a tribute while they are here — can help nurture the bond despite the miles.
Choose a time that works in both places
Across provinces, territories and relatives in other countries, the same time on the clock can mean very different routines. Agree on each person’s local time and test audio and access before the conversation. Offer a written question and time to answer; video calls do not have to be the only option. In Canada, let the person choose French or English for the recording and keep expressions from the family language when they are part of the story.
Further reading: Canadian Museum of Immigration — oral histories.