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Grandparents can play an important role in the lives of their grandchildren whether they live near or far. Fun and memorable activities don’t have to cost a lot of money; it’s the time shared together that is valuable. There are many things you can do to create and nurture the grandparent-grandchild bond. You can share something as simple as reading together. A feeling of closeness develops when your grandchild is sitting on your lap or next to you sharing a special book. Write a special letter to your grandchildren with a favorite memory of time spent together. Share your feelings about the day they were born. For an older grandchild that may be struggling with a challenge, share something that you struggled with and how you handled it. And of course there’s always the three words that no child tires of hearing: I love you.

I came across an activity that Kimberlee Woodward, a teacher in Michigan, used in her classroom that I thought would be fun for a family reunion or a family gathering. Each person has 3-5 different-colored paper strips on which they write a different talent. They create a mini paper chain by linking their talent strips together. Now, get the whole group together and taking turns, each person reads their talents. Link the individual chains together using extra strips of paper. Now you have one long chain. Talk about what the chain demonstrates. For example: All our family members have talents. If we help and support each other we can accomplish more. We’re a stronger family when each individual is willing to share their talents.

The novelist Walker Percy once observed, “Some people get all A’s but flunk life,” Succeeding in life takes character. I recently read the book Character Matters by Dr. Thomas Lickona. It gave me great insight into how important it is to help our children and grandchildren build good character. Lickona, a developmental psychologist , maintains there are 10 essential qualities needed to build good character: wisdom, justice, fortitude, love, self-control, a positive attitude, hard work, integrity, gratitude, and humility. As grandparents we have the opportunity to help in this building process with our grandchildren. Think about activities that you have done with your grandchildren that help build character and share them on my blog. To find more information on this topic and other work that Dr. Lickona has done go to www.cortland.edu/character/.

Because I love to read, I enjoy giving books to my grandchildren that we can read together. It’s always magical to share a story for the first time.  When I’m spending the day with them we sometimes go to the library and gather lots of books to take home. We throw pillows and blankets on the floor and just enjoy reading the books together. Often we don’t finish one book before we go onto the next. Sometimes we read the same book many times. Reading with your grandchildren not only helps them develop a love for reading but sharing a book together brings a closeness and creates a memory.

With Father’s Day approaching , my thoughts turn to my own father. He passed away 10 years ago but I still miss him. I think of what a great support he was to me and my brothers. I also realize what a fantastic grandfather he was. He loved to play games with his grandchildren, in fact some he played over and over and over. He enjoyed making up songs that would fit the occasion like going down a steep hill in the car or stopping by Dairy Queen for an ice cream cone. My grown children still remember many of the songs grandpa made up. But I think the thing they remember the most about him was his unconditional love. That’s a memory that never fades.