COVID-19 may mean that you’re unable to see your favourite little people for some time, but it doesn’t mean you can’t still connect with them in meaningful ways. Here are several creative suggestions certain to delight both you and your grandchildren.

Write a story together
There are many ways to make technology work for you in these unusual times and using it to co-write a story with your grandkids is a really rewarding one as it allows you to tailor the activity to their specific interests and passions. Start by thinking of one or more opening sentences – you’ll find some fantastic inspiration at Scholastic and Journal Buddies – and once you’ve settled on the introduction to your story, email it to your grandkids and invite them to reply with the next part of the tale (they may need help from their parents if they’re younger). Keep going until your story comes to an end.

Get to know each other better
One thing you can still enjoy with your grandchildren, in spite of the lockdown restrictions, is conversation. And with life having slowed down substantially, there’s plenty of time in the day to find out what they’ve been up to and how they’re feeling with a phone call or video call. If you need help getting them to give more than one-word answers, The Dad Dude has a list of 250 brilliant questions, including ‘What colour was your day?’, ‘What would you do if you were invisible today?’ and ‘If you could get a thousand people to do one thing with you, what would it be?’, that are guaranteed to get them chatting and give you even more insight into who they are and how they think. Enjoy! 

Become their home-school helper
If your grandchildren are following an online curriculum while they wait to return to school, there could be a wonderful opportunity for you to help them with their schoolwork – whether that’s listening to them read, tutoring them in subjects they may be struggling with, or co-ordinating craft projects for them in the afternoons. If one or both of their parents are working from home during the lockdown, they’re likely to welcome the offer of help with a huge sigh of relief. So get on a phone call or video call and offer help from afar.

Send them a gift
Who doesn’t love an unexpected gift? Especially one that arrives on your doorstep. There are plenty of online shopping options available, including Takelot.com and Toys R Us, both of which deliver nationwide and have a wonderful selection of goodies – you’ll find everything from puzzles and Peppa Pig to dolls and drones. And if your little people are slightly bigger, or they’re avid readers, consider sending them a book from Exclusive Books or buying them a Kindle voucher so they can choose their own title and have it delivered instantly to their device.