Having your grandparents down the street, or even in the same zip code, is not always a reality for a lot of kids. Families move more often and much farther than in generations past, and it’s likely that you have to work a little harder to make sure your kids and their grandparents keep in touch. Fortunately, there are many great apps to help grandparents stay connected with their grandkids. From playing games against each other and having watch parties, to even reading bedtime stories, there are some seriously sweet options out there.
Yes, of course there’s always FaceTime — it’s always going to be the best way to catch up on the happenings this past week (or, if you’re like my mom, to get carted around the house in phone form by my toddler while he shows her his latest pillow fort). And for older kids, Facebook Messenger Kids, calls, texts — the usuals still work. But some of the magic of being grandparents, like having the kids over to play and watch movies, gets lost long distance. And the joy of having grandkids, like seeing the wonky art project they made at school today, can slip through the cracks, too. But not with apps like these.
Zoog calls itself a video storytelling app, meant to replace boring video calls for kids who just aren’t great at small talk and staying engaged with grandparents on the other end. Read classic kids’ books or tell riddles, stories, or educational lessons, all with fun filters and by becoming part of the animations. Yes, your Zoogs will be saved forever, so grandkids can watch their favorites again and again.
Cost: $9.99 a month (though there are some freebies in the app you can try before committing to the paid plan)
Caribu is an app created by Mattel to essentially have virtual playdates with family who lives far away. It’s intended for babies up through 13-year-olds, with games, drawing activities, and stories to read together virtually. The app is available on phones, tablets, and computers, so however the grands are comfortable connecting should be an option.
Cost: $9.99 per family each month, or $79.99 a year
Readeo’s tagline is “read together from anywhere,” and yeah, that about sums it up. Video chat the grandkids while you read a book together onscreen, from new releases and holiday stories, Spanish titles and children’s classics, like Olivia or Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. This app’s geared to kids 0 to 11.
Cost: Free, or $14.99 monthly for unlimited library access and extra features (like bookmarking)
Marco Polo is one of the more well-known video chatting apps, and for good reason. It allows for video calling and texting, as well as sharing photos and videos, leaving video messages, and more. Unlike Snapchat, these things don’t self-destruct after 10 seconds, and the app is more secure for kids (no suggestions to add random strangers). It’s a great choice for tweens or teens who are app savvy and want to connect with Grandma, but are too old for bedtimes stories.
Cost: Free with in-app purchases, or Plus plans starting at $5 a month (with lots of added features, listed here)
Keepy is mainly like an organizational tool for parents — Keepy lets you photograph your child’s school projects and artworks to catalog digitally instead of hoarding all that paper — and record mementos and stories about the things you save to attach to them. But then you can add family members to be your kid’s “fan” and give them access to the memories via phone or web. There, they can comment, leave video messages, and more about all the big moments in your child’s life (and even print their photos or artwork onto keepsake items).
Cost: Free with in-app purchases
A classic phone game to play with friends and family, Words With Friends still holds up. This Scrabble-like puzzle game invites each player, wherever they are, to take a turn building words in a crossword-like way and scoring points as they go. It’s a nice way to interact between generations, especially with teen grandkids who aren’t eager to talk about their days at school lately.
Cost: Free with in-app purchases
If watching movies or TV shows together is a big part of how your kids spend time with their grandparents — I, for one, have fond memories of watching Keeping Up Appearances with mine — then Kast is where it’s at. This app live streams your screen to another user so you can watch flicks together in real time, with some additional chat features you can use while you’re at it.
Cost: Free, but the screen will be watermarked. A subscription costs $6.49 per month.
The app Kinsome has a little bit of everything. Daily Shares sends conversation starters to kids, and prompts them questions to choose from to learn more about their grandparents’ lives and family history. There are also some games they can play together at the same time. Grandparents don’t need to download the app or even have a smartphone — they can receive invites to play and converse via email link or text.
Cost: Free, but with a $4.99 premium subscription option coming soon
