Long distance grandparent gifts: what to send grandchildren who live far away

These ideas are for grandparents sending something to a grandchild, not the other way around. When a child lives a long drive or a flight away, a good gift has an extra job: bringing your voice, your handwriting or your attention into their house. Most of what follows costs little, and you can do it with a phone and a mailbox.

Sources are linked in the text. Last checked November 2026.

You’re in large company. In AARP’s 2018 survey of 2,654 grandparents, over half had at least one grandchild living more than 200 miles away. In its newer survey of 3,283 grandparents, run in late 2025, 76% named digital tools such as texting and social media as a primary way they stay connected, and half of those aged 80 and over text with their grandkids.

Record yourself reading a book

This is the simplest idea here, and one of the most personal. Choose a picture book you once read to their mother or father, or one the child already owns. Prop your phone on a stack of books, hold the book so the pages show, and start with the child’s name. Stop now and then to ask what they think will happen next, and leave a little silence for the answer. Send the video to the parents and keep it within the family. If you can, mail the book too, so the child can turn the pages along with you.

Can a recording work? In a 2020 study, 4-year-olds heard the same storybook in person, over video chat, or from a recorded reader who paused for answers. They scored about the same on understanding the story and on vocabulary in all three. It was one book and one age group, and the readers were researchers rather than grandparents, so it’s a modest finding, though an encouraging one. Military families use the same idea: United Through Reading, a nonprofit, helps service members record themselves reading a storybook so their children can watch it anytime.

Read together on a video call

That same study found one clear difference: children answered the reader’s questions more often in person and on a live call than with a recording. On a call, you can answer back.

Agree on a regular time with the parents, when the child isn’t tired or hungry, and stop while it’s still fun. If you can, mail two copies of a book so you each have one, and let the child say when to turn the page.

Bring other things to do as well. A 2021 survey of 855 grandparents and 846 parents of children up to age 5 found that more frequent calls, and more kinds of activity during them, went along with grandparents feeling closer to the child. That’s a link rather than proof of cause, but it’s a good reason to read one week, show them the garden the next, and try a puppet show after that.

If the child is a baby or toddler, ask the parents what works for them. When the American Academy of Pediatrics advised against screen media under 18 months in 2016, it made an exception for video chatting.

Letters and a pen-pal routine

An envelope with a child’s own name on it is a small event. To keep letters going, make writing back easy. Send a stamped envelope already addressed to you, and ask one question they can answer with a drawing: What was the best thing you ate this week? What should I name the new tomato plant? Younger children can tell a parent what to write, and a phone photo of a drawing counts as a reply.

Choose a rhythm you can keep, such as the first of every month. Save everything they send in one box. One day you can hand the whole correspondence back to them.

A subscription that comes in their name

A children’s magazine or a monthly book box keeps arriving long after the day you gave it. Before paying, check three things: the age range, whether it renews automatically, and whether the parents have room for it. Send a note with the first issue and ask about it on your next call, so it stays a gift from you instead of more mail.

Small ideas that cost almost nothing

• A photo of you at their age, with the true story of that day written on the back.
• A family recipe in your handwriting, and a video call to cook it at the same time.
• A map of the route between your house and theirs, with a sticker for each visit.
• A list of ten questions they can ask you about what their mom or dad was like as a child.

Ask the parents first

A quick message prevents most gift mistakes. Ask what the child already has, what they’re interested in this month, and whether there are any rules about screens. Ask before you send or upload a photo of the child anywhere, including to any company making a personalized gift. For gifts from grandparents at Christmas, check your carrier’s mailing dates early, especially if the parcel crosses a border.

More guides: the Christmas Eve book tradition and books for kids who ask why.