Grammy Tanda and I love to spend time with our grandchildren in person, but since most of them live in three other time zones, we don’t get to see them as often as we’d like. So some of our most pleasurable moments are when we are chatting “face to face” over the Internet with our grandkids.

If you enjoy talking with your grandchildren on the phone, you will love video chatting even more! It’s video conferencing software you run on your computer that lets you talk with and see your family. It’s just like in the Jetsons cartoon—live audio and video.

What could be worth more than seeing the grin on your grandchild’s face when they see you talking with them on the screen? They’ll be proud to show you how much they’ve grown and to show off their first missing tooth. Even grandbabies will respond to your voice and smiling countenance.

Somethings are just better communicated face to face, where you can see expressions and gestures. Compared to letters, email and even telephone calls, video calls can make conversations much more interesting and intimate. You’ll have more to talk about, and your grandkids will more easily remember you or your face.

Now watch this video. It’s full of examples and cool ideas for you.

A grandparent’s job is to give positive encouragement; to be a cheerleader and a talent scout. ~Grammy Tanda Packer

Fun things you can do on your video chat: read storybooks and show them the pictures, make up stories, sing, dance, play games, help with their homework, be playful, play peek-a-boo, make funny faces, and tell knock-knock jokes.

Ask your grandkids to sing and read to you, and tell you jokes and stories. Have them show you their drawings, crafts, homework, new clothes, acrobatics and somersaults.

Options for free video chat software

You’ll need a computer, a webcam with a built-in or separate mic, and a broadband Internet connection. Different programs use their own protocols, so you and your family will need to use the same software. Each of the following programs allow you to make video calls worldwide.

iChat from Apple is an application that comes free with every Macintosh. If you have a Mac, iChat is the best software for video chatting. You can even have a video conference with up to 3 other Macs at once. Since it uses the AIM protocol, iChat works well with AIM on other computers.

AIM is an application you can download to your computer. It uses the same protocol as iChat.

Skype is another popular program for making video calls. Download the program and sign up for a free account. Computer-to-computer calls and video calls are free.

Google voice and video chat is integrated into gmail in your web browser. It’s a great option if you and your family have gmail accounts. Anyone can sign up for a free gmail account.

How to get started

1. Choose an application and install it. (Consider what your family may be using.)
2. Launch the program.
3. Create a screen name and password (first time only).
4. Share your screen name with your family.
5. Arrange a time to call.
6. Turn on your webcam.
7. Log in to your chat program.
8. Initiate the video call by clicking the appropriate buttons, or click “Accept” if your family initiates the call.
9. Click the video icon by their name to see their video. (Note: Some programs make you click a button to allow them to see your video.)
10. Enjoy!

Videophones are another option for video conferencing. These are special phones with an LCD screen. No computer is needed, but they need a high-speed Internet connection. You and your family both need the same brand of videophone.

If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then live video is worth ten 10,000 words. ~Grandpa Shayne Packer

We know you’ll love video chatting with your grandkids! So go try it.

Enjoy – Grandpa Shayne

Announcement: This post is part of a blog carnival hosted by Susan Adcox, About.com’s Guide to Grandparents.

We’d like to hear from you. Please comment below to tell us about your videochat. What fun things did you do on the call with your grandkids.

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My wife, Grammy Tanda, is back home after playing Grammy for a couple of weeks! She’s a high school teacher, and loves to go spend time with our grandkids for a few weeks at a time each summer On this trip, she went to see two of our young grandsons, 3 and 6 years old.

If you’ve read our About Shayne & Tanda page, you’ll remember that 7 of our 8 grandchildren live in 3 different areas of the country. Since it’s too far to drive, this means lots of flying. But Grammy Tanda doesn’t mind because it’s so fun being with the grandkids. (Oh, and I think she might like seeing our daughters and their hubbies too, but this blog is about grandparenting.) We enjoy going together whenever possible. But when only one of us can get away, we feel that it’s important enough, so we don’t let that stop us. Sometimes one of us is traveling on business somewhere close to where some of our grandchildren live. So we try to schedule in a little detour for even a day or two. If you plan it right, it doesn’t cost that much more to add an extra city to your flight plans.

Our grandchildren love Grammy! She is so fun and has so much enthusiasm in her role as a grandmother. Grammy is very creative, and is always prepared with fun ideas to do with the grandkids. She is aware of their short attention spans, so she watches for their queues, and is ready to shift directions when they start to get bored or distracted.

Now let’s see, on this trip, Grammy and the 2 grandsons went on nature hikes, swimming, fishing, crafts, cooking together, reading, playing fun games, just to mention a few things. She also also enjoyed helping with meals.

Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children. ~Alex Haley

I miss her while she’s gone, but we chat on the phone a few times each day. Sometimes she’ll call after being worn out or emotionally spent. Maybe you’ve noticed that young’uns can do that to you.

Tanda teaches Family and Consumer Science (what used to be Home Ec, but it’s so much more now days). So she is very good at connecting with high schoolers, and kids of all ages. And after helping me raise after raising five children (with my help), she’s had lots of experience communicating with children of all ages.

Now that she’s back home, she’ll keep the memories fresh by calling them on the phone often, and by video chatting using iChat on our Macintosh or with our VoIP videophone.

We’re interested to know what fun things you enjoy doing when you spend time with your grandchildren. We welcome your comments.

Thanks, Shayne

Photo by kreg.steppe

Hi. Grammy Tanda here. I love being a grandparent. I just wish that my grandchildren lived closer. A curse of our modern culture I guess. I often long for the Norman Rockwell days of having the grandkids down the block and spending lazy summer afternoons on the porch playing with them. So much for fantasy. So how does a long distance grandparent keep in touch and have a close relationship with those precious grandchildren? One way I keep in touch with grandchildren are weekly phone calls. Even the youngest smile when they hear grandpa’s or grandma’s voice. Each grandchild’s age has its own unique challenges, but the important thing is just do it! One of the challenges in our high tech, multitasking world is to keep the grandchild’s attention. The following are some of the best suggestions we have tried and received from other grandparents.

1. Make it a routine. Kids love routines, knowing things are predictable, and that they can count on a call from grandpa or grandma each week. This also allows you to build a personal relationship with each grandchild. If possible, set up a standing date to call at a certain time every day or certain days depending on your schedules. It’s something the kids can look forward to.

2. Have a few knock knock jokes ready to tell each time you call. And ask them to tell you a joke. Take turns.

3. Make up funny stories like mad libs (word game) together, or make up stories with your grandchild as the main character. My kids always like making up stories over the telephone with their grandparents. Usually they need some help getting started, but then they like adding details to the story (like what color the super-hero is wearing, etc.). It’s a special treat when they get a call at bed time and can make up a bedtime story together. You’ll find your grandkids have great imaginations and you’ll learn a lot about how they see their world. Great fun!

4. I love to sing silly songs to the grandkids. I begin when they’re born. These songs become favorite memories. So when I call, we often sing their favorite songs. Sometimes they sing with me; other times they just want to listen. But it always seems to bridge the miles and remind us of our favorite times together.

5. We absolutely love talking with and seeing our grandchildren on our videophone. They loved showing off, doing somersaults and being silly. The videophone is so fun and you don’t even need a computer. It’s just like the Jetsons. Live video and audio. Another service is Skype, which is a carrier that shows your picture with your voice on your computer. You can talk to anyone in the world who also has skype for free. The ultimate video chat experience is iChat, an easy-to-use, full-featured communications program that comes free on the Macintosh. Video chatting is the next best thing to having grandma in a rocking chair on the porch to talk to any time you need her!

Everyone needs to have access both to grandparents and grandchildren in order to be a full human being. ~Margaret Mead

Grandparenthood is the best. It is kind of like the teenage years all over again. We get all of the fun and none of the responsibility. One of the blessings though, is the opportunity to connect and enjoy those wonderful grandkids. Don’t let miles keep you from the close relationship you’ve always dreamed of. Try a weekly phone call; and share you experiences and tips with the rest of us.

What things do you enjoying talking about with your grandchildren? What other suggestions do you have to keep their attention?

Grammy Tanda