Being away from someone you love is hard. Distance is a real barrier that many loved ones have to face, especially families. Though every family dynamic is different, a lot of families do not live close to one another and only get to see each other on the occasional holiday, or maybe for a special celebration or surprise visit.
Many families who decide to have children will inevitably move away from where their parents may be. This then means that the grandparents get to only see their grandchildren a few times a year.
More than half of American families are having to deal with long-distance as a factor for grandparents and grandchildren.
For many grandparents, this is hard. They long to see their grandchildren grow up and be a present person in their life. And for many grandparents, there is a strong desire to pass on a sense of cultural identity, a hobby they love, or certain personality traits. But distance doesn’t mean they have to be any less present or love them any less. Of course, it can still be hard for everyone to be so far away.
While you may be physically away from your grandparents, there are still ways to make sure they feel loved through phone calls, gifts, and the occasional card in the mail just because.
If you’ve opted to send your grandparents a handpicked, specialized gift, you’ve come to the right place! We have tons of gift ideas so they can feel your love—even miles away.
Gifts That Will Make Your Grandparents Feel Loved
Finding that perfect gift can be hard. You want it to be equally special, personalized, as well as something that will make the person receiving it happy and remind them of you. It can be a lot of pressure! No need to fear, we have some great gift ideas that will be sure winners with the grandparents.
A Personalized Photo Album or Scrapbook
Making something from scratch is a wonderful idea for a gift because it shows all the hard work you put into it! Create a photo album with all the photos that you guys have together by printing out the photos and inserting them into the album.
Or, if you want to be a little more crafty, make a scrapbook instead! Insert photos of the grandchildren and grandparents together and add doodles, cute notes, silly stickers, or whatever else that will make the scrapbook personalized. Each of the grandchildren could write a list of “10 Favorite Things About Grandma & Grandpa” which is sure to make their day. Be creative and let the kids’ imaginations wander!
Virtual Movie Night
Though you can’t watch a movie in person together, you can still absolutely have a movie night! There are countless streaming services out there that you can link up so you’re both watching the same movie at the same time.
Send them a box of goodies to go along with it: popcorn, some great movie candy like Twizzlers or Sour Patch kids, a blanket to cuddle up with, or anything else to make it the best movie night ever! Shared memories like these are the perfect way to feel close even when you’re far away.
Lovebox
The perfect way to send a personalized note, photo, or drawing to someone far away, the Love Note Messenger by Lovebox is a great gift to give to the grandparents. Pairing with their app, the Lovebox will send whatever you choose to the desired person, and the red heart on the front will spin so they know an incoming message is coming in! The app is very user-friendly, and it’s free.
All you do is lift the lid on the top of the box and your message, love note, or picture will be shown! Grandchildren can send drawings to their grandparents, like if they were in person coloring next to them.
Also, through the app, you can upload photos to send and even draw on the photos themselves. Instead of just texting it, send it through Lovebox to create an interactive experience for your grandparents that is intentional so they know that you’re thinking about them.
There’s a specialized Lovebox just for the grandparents too! On this Lovebox, grandchildren can draw on the paper hearts attached to it so they have two gifts in one. It’s a perfect gift for grandma and grandpa to see throughout their day!
So many customers are raving about the Lovebox, one customer even stating, “My sister and I bought a LoveBox for our daughters to give to their grandma and grandpa for Christmas...they love it! It’s easy to use, beautiful, and a wonderful way to keep in touch with the grandkids since my parents live 8 hours away. We love that my parents can reply by spinning the heart which sends a shower of hearts right to our phone screen!”
This gift could be the perfect solution for grandparents that are far away so that there is always a reminder of their grandchildren’s love.
Customized Prints or Art
Nothing says “I love you” quite like customizing something to make it unique to the one you’re giving it to. Making something crafty by hand is a great gift option and the grandparents will feel special too. Some ideas could include…
- A drawing of the grandchildren holding the hands of their grandparents
- Some beautiful flowers that remind them of grandma
- A silly drawing of a new, made-up animal they want to introduce to grandpa
These personalized gifts mean so much and make grandparents feel loved and appreciated. There’s so much room to be crafty with these and create artwork that grandparents are sure to love because it came directly from the hands of their grandchildren. Whatever it is, they can hang it on their fridge and smile every time they walk by it.
Personalized Bookmarks
Are your grandparents the kind of people that love to read? Maybe they have a personal library or are always sitting on the porch with a good book. If so, create a few cute bookmarks that will make them smile each time they open their book.
Print out photos of the grandchildren with a big smile on their face or doing a funny pose, lament it, add a tassel on the end, and voila! A bookmark that they can cherish forever.
Homemade Tickets
Grab some paper and markers and get to designing! Create some handmade coupons that can be anything from funny or helpful, and be creative with it. These can work as explanations, freebies for talking on the phone, or whatever else you guys can come up with. A few ideas could be any of the these:
- Ticket for a phone call with all the grandchildren
- Ticket for a video chat hangout
- Ticket for a free coffee
- Ticket for a bedtime story to be read by one of the grandparents
Grandma and grandpa can keep these tickets and use them whenever they want. It’s a great way to make communicating from a distance that much more fun.
Personalized Letters
Gift the grandparents with some hand-written letters. Customize them to specific scenarios and prompts, such as, “Open When You Miss Me” or “Open When You Need Encouragement”. Write personalized letters for each occasion so that they can come back to it again and again. It’s a gift that keeps on giving!
This gift idea is something that can be treasured forever. A thoughtful, kind letter can communicate so much. Communicating is important, especially when distance is a factor. This way, they can read their grandchildren’s words even if they can’t talk to them at that moment, and they’ll feel close to them even when they’re far away.
Customized Ornaments
Is it almost Christmas time? Make a few ornaments for the grandparents that they can hang on their tree! Customize it for each grandchild by getting a clear ornament, putting one of the children’s hands in paint, and then sticking that hand onto the ornament.
Another idea could be giving each grandchild a blank, white ornament and letting them color and draw all over it. Whatever masterpiece they come up with, you can sign their names at the bottom and it can instantly become a work of art come Christmas time. It’s the perfect way to spread holiday cheer!
Gifts Are Reminders
Gifts can act as reminders to your loved ones that you were thinking about them and always are. Gift-giving is a great way to be thoughtful and intentional and will make the receiver feel special, loved, and thought of!
With distance as an obstacle, feeling appreciated can be difficult, especially if you are someone who values quality time. But quality time can still happen miles away, through these interactive gift ideas or through weekly phone calls to check in with everyone.
For grandparents, it can be hard to be far from their children and grandchildren. They may feel as if they’re missing out on a lot of memories and moments shared.
Though they can’t be there physically for every event or soccer game, memories can still be made through giving and receiving gifts. Whether it be a personalized movie night kit or the Lovebox that can show photos, notes, or drawings, there’s a gift out there for everyone that is a sure way to make the grandparents feel loved.
Sources:
8 Ways to Handle Being a Long-Distance Grandma | Woman's World
The science behind giving good gifts | BBC
Long-distance grandparenting is not easy. Here’s how these families make it work. | America Magazine
