By Gail Marsh
The connection between grandparents and their grandchildren is so special! I don’t know about you, but when we are away from our grandchildren for an extended period, I really miss them! I want to do everything I can to strengthen the “grand bond” we share and stay in touch with them while we RV.
One way to keep the connection with our “Grands” strong is through letters sent via the U.S. Post Office. “Snail mail” is often an untapped source of surprise and joy for children, no matter how young or old they may be. This so-called old-fashioned mode of communication ensures that you stay in touch with grandchildren as you RV.
Ways to stay in touch with grandchildren while you RV
Plan ahead
Our current travel plans will take us to southern Florida for several weeks. In preparation for our trip, I put together eight envelopes that I’ll send periodically to our grandchildren while we’re away. Here are some tips about the envelopes.
- Choose a variety of envelope sizes and colors. This makes it a bit more intriguing for kids. Imagine receiving an oversized envelope!
- Pre-address and affix postage to each envelope. This will save you time later and encourage you to follow through with mailing them.
- Keep things as equal as possible. Although I know all four of our Grands will be excited to “see what Grandma sent this time,” it’s a special thrill when a child sees her own name as the letter’s recipient. Make sure each grandchild receives the same amount of mail over time.
- Include your return address. This may be the campground address or a rental box in the nearby UPS store. Encourage grandchildren to write back to you—even if the young children dictate and parents do the actual writing.
What goes inside?
This is the part that stumped me at first. Just what should I put inside the envelopes? First of all, make sure whatever you send is well suited to your grandchild’s age. Here are a few ideas to consider.
- A personal letter. You can tell about your travels, of course, but inquire about the life of your grandchild, too. Take the opportunity to tell them about ways they make you proud, how happy they make you feel, and encourage them in an area they find challenging. This website provides even more ideas.
- A photo of the two of you. I love sending a photo that shows the grandchild and me doing something together. I include a brief “remember when” note and tell the child how much I love it when we’re together. Sending an actual photo helps the grandchildren know that they’re on my mind even when we’re physically far apart.
- A drawing. Send a drawing you’ve made and challenge your grandchild to draw something, too. It doesn’t matter how your drawing turns out. Your effort will prompt your grandchild to also draw. Facetime your grandchild to see what they’ve made.
- Origami. I copied online directions for three different origami animals and included square pieces of scrapbook paper for the Grands to use in making the origami creatures. You might also send some of your own origami creations. Or set a date and time for both of you to make an origami animal simultaneously via Facetime, Skype or Zoom.
- Scavenger hunt. Send a list of items for your grandchild to find. Tell them to take a picture of each item and send the photo to your email or cell phone. Think about objects they can easily find around their home, like something red, the smallest shoe in the house, a toy with wheels, a pinecone, the softest pillow, etc. The list need not be long, and it will provide a topic for conversation between the two of you.
- Jokes and riddles, brain teasers and word puzzles. Preteen grandchildren might enjoy a collection of jokes and/or riddles. I found some riddles and brain teasers at this site online. I know my grandson will love figuring out the answers, which I purposely did not include in the envelope but will reveal the next time we talk on the phone.
- Secret spy letter. I used a very small font when typing a “secret spy letter” to my granddaughter. Then I bought a small, flat magnifying glass at our local dollar store and put them both inside an envelope. My granddaughter can use the magnifying glass to read my secret spy letter.
- Book. If your grandchild enjoys a particular author or book theme, consider buying two of the same books. Send one book to your Grand and keep the other book to read for yourself. Have your grandchild call when he completes a few chapters, and you can discuss the book together. (I plan to read one of Mo Willems’ “Elephant and Piggie” books to the younger grandchildren via Skype. Afterward, I’ll send the book to them. Once they receive it, I plan to send them Willems’ online instructions about how to draw a character in the book. I might even try drawing Piggie myself so we can compare our sketches.)
Once you’ve decided what goes inside each envelope, weigh it and apply the required postage.
That’s my list so far. I hope it prompts your own creativity and motivates you to stay in touch with your grandchildren as you RV, too.
What’s your favorite way to stay in touch with your grandchildren while you RV? Please tell me in the comments below.
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I send post cards with images of where I am along my way. …some funny, some serious. They respond well, no matter the age. Postage is less. Conversation with parents back home is sparked. They get to hold it in their hand. When I visit them on return, all postcards are displayed in their room.
Thanks, Jean. Great idea. Enjoy your travels…and your grandchildren!
We ask our grandson to choose one of his stuffed animal friends to accompany us on our travels. We take it on all of our hikes and little adventures and document it’s fun in photos that we send to him on text messages. We will create fun little short stories that keep him entertained and informed about our travels. Sometimes his little stuffed friends find other stuffed friends along the way.
Thank you, Gail! We lack children and, thereby, grandchildren. However, I’ll pass these along to DW’s mother, who does have grandchildren. DW and I keep in touch with our parents (mothers) via telephone when we travel. If we are home, then we just do regular face-to-face visits with them. Safe travels!
Thanks for the great ideas, Gail! We recently went on a 7 week trip and my daughter in law made “flat” grandchildren for us to take (the kids faces were on the flat dolls). I taped them to the windshield and took a pic of them as we crossed state lines or other significant sites and took them along with us to all the attractions we visited and sent them pics of “their” adventures. Additionally, she made a map and had a picture of our RV and they moved the RV to where we were so they could follow how far away we were and then see when we were coming back! We all had a lot of fun with that. . .
Great ideas! Thanks for sharing this.
We like to use Face Time calls to our grandson which are the next best thing to being with him in person. He loves to take the phone to different rooms or even outside to show us things he’s made or is doing. And we can show him our camp area, etc.
Excellent article and comments, I’m stealing some of these ideas!
Thanks for the ideas Gail! We periodically send postcards from the various locations we stop at to show the grand kids where we are at that time. Then revisit them with photos when we are all together
Great ideas everyone, thanks! Normally we sent postcards from each stop or NP we visit. I paint small (quarter or half dollar) size rocks with a favorite view from a National Park, 35 so far. We just have one grand child so it’s easy.
I love these ideas, both from Gail & the comments…thanks for recycling the article. Two more: write a letter and cut it into pieces to make a puzzle letter, or write with invisible ink (lemon juice) to be revealed later with heat from an iron or other source.
We join in by facetime first, before races to encourage them, then track meets or swim meets and their mom shows us so we can watch in real time, then afterwards to congratulate them by facetime.
My wife is a papercrafter who makes cards and gift boxes for the grandkids. They originally had teddy bears, puppies, or other animals on/in them, but they have gotten more elaborate as the kids have gotten older. Some have had pop-up scenes, wobble clowns on springs, hidden pockets for cash or checks, rattles (sequins in tiny clear plastic windows), small hidden boxes full of M&Ms, even “exploding” confetti. It’s hilarious to watch even older teens now open the cards or gift boxes very carefully because they never know what to expect! And it’s a great a way to personalize things for our grandkids who have lived as far away as South Korea and now Japan.
We send post cards to our grand children. They really enjoy getting mail and can track where we are at.
That is very cool.
Thank you for the suggestions, Gail! I send postcards showing approximately where we are when traveling. But, they are to my GP, who also has an RV. Have a great week and safe travels!