Grandparents can invest in their grandkids in a myriad of ways. Here’s just a few to get you started…

1. Be There

Sporting events, dance recitals, piano recitals, concerts, plays—be in the audience. Clap vigorously. Grandparents don’t have to worry about being embarrassing with their pride. Mom and dad do. Get the spirit shirt and pin and wear them with pride. Everybody needs to know they have fans. Being ‘there’ looks a little different from far away. But you can still ask for accounts of the day and be their fan. Try to plan one trip a year around when you can be there live for something.

2. Play

My Grandma S. was the only one of my three living grandparents who played with us. She would stop the work she was doing to play and laugh with us. Specifically—Candyland, pool, ping pong, and whiffle ball. She was the all-time pitcher in whiffle ball. On the day of her funeral, we stopped at the store on the way back to her house to buy a whiffle ball set to play a game in her honor. Far away grandparents can learn to play in creative ways. One grandma I know could prompt a laughing spell like she was in-person tickling her grandchild.

3. Listen

Ask good questions. Create an environment where it’s safe and welcome for them to respond honestly. I know one grandma whose preteen grandson first confessed a porn struggle to her. Because she asked good questions. And listened without judgment to his responses.

4. Advise

Grandchildren are more open to receive advice from grandparents than from their own parents. (Really!) You have the gift of wisdom and a deep love for them. The grandma from the previous example entered into a candid conversation with her grandson regarding his porn struggle, opening the door for advice and prayer.

5. Include

Housework, errands, hobbies, the ordinary and the special. Include your grandkids in what you do. Whether they are simply an observer or a helper, they want to be a part of your life.

6. Open Your Home

My grandparents’ home was so welcoming, and I was so comfortable there, it was like my second home. My cousins and I would stay for at least a month straight in the summer. We slept 8-10 across the living room floor on blankets. I still remember the smell of the fresh air when the attic fan was running on a summer evening, my grandpa’s gold dial soap, and the taste of the funny shaped crackers and apple slices served in brown melamine mugs.

7. Encourage Gifts

You can see areas that your grandchildren are gifted maybe in ways that no one else can see. Encourage these gifts. Help them grow their gifts if you can—help them practice their skills to be better, cheer them on, don’t let them quit on the hard days.

8. Challenge

Their understanding, their status quo, their potential—see the areas that they might need to grow and challenge your grandkids in appropriate ways. Be sure this isn’t the emphasis of every interaction you have.

9. Verbalize Value

Speak truth to your grandchildren about their value that is inherent because they are image bearers of God. Speak about the character traits that you see in them. Speak of your love for them that’s not based on their achievements or behavior.

10. Hug

Appropriate touch and affection (usually hugs) is so needed by each one of us. Always ask permission before giving any sort of touch. If they say no, respect that boundary, instead blow a kiss, give an air high five, or write a note to send home with them.

What other ways can you invest in your grandchildren? Comment below!