How to Connect with Grandkids: Craft a Project

Do you live far away from your grandchildren? Or are you still socially distanced? Crafting a project together remotely is an excellent way to connect with grandkids you can’t see in person.

I know, because I spent a year crafting online with my grandchildren. Now fully vaccinated, we enjoy unlimited in-person visits. But during the height of the pandemic, this simple act was the spark that nurtured our relationship.

In fact, getting together for those FaceTime projects has had enduring results. These days, the kids have gotten so used to communicating with me by FaceTime that I often get impromptu calls from them, just to talk.

Another fun way to use toilet paper rolls. Turn them into cannons to launch pom poms!

Going on eight, Miss T was able to handle fairly complex projects with ease. Her four-year-old brother, Little N, not so much. It’s harder to find a project he can do by himself, without adult supervision.

The project that seemed simplest for his age was an adorable fire-breathing dragon from the website, One Little Project, where you will find clear, how-to instructions. Blow into the cardboard tube dragon to make the tissue paper flames dance as though the dragon is breathing fire.

Crafting to Connect with Grandkids

There are extra considerations for crafting remotely, especially for such a young child. So, I modified the construction of the dragon in a few ways to accommodate Little N’s age and my long-distance guidance:

• Instead of covering the cardboard roll with paper, I painted it with acrylic paint to simplifying the project.
• The instructions say to use a glue gun to attach the googly eyes and the pom poms. Since a glue gun would require a parent to operate, I gave Little N self-sticking Command picture hanging strips cut into squares. It just happened to be what I had. The strips work like Velcro so he needed to adhere the hook side to the toilet paper roll and the loop side to the pom pom eyes, then press them together to attach. (The blog suggests glue dots as an alternative to the glue gun.)
• To secure the googly eyes to the pom poms, we used Elmer’s school glue. If you use the glue, do this step first to allow the glue time to dry before the child manipulates the pom poms.
• Little N wanted to wear the dragon around his neck. So, I used a hole punch to make holes on opposite sides of the toilet paper roll; enabling him to thread some yarn through.

Putting Together a Craft Kit

To make the child’s kit, assemble all the materials.

• Paint the toilet paper roll and let dry; hole punch two edges for a neck hanger.
• Precut the tissue paper strips. I laid them out in a plastic sheet protector so Little N could easily remove one strip at a time.
• Put the Elmer’s glue in a little plastic sauce tub, the kind you get with takeout meals. Include a wooden popsicle stick or a small plastic knife as a glue spreader.
• Bag pom poms, googly eyes, and a self-sticking adhesive, such as glue dots, in a small plastic bag.
• Include yarn for the neck hanger.
• Make a sample of the finished product that the child can examine, to make sure they are on track, as they work.

This is a fun and simple craft project to do side-by-side with little ones. It’s more difficult when you can’t be there to help the child. In the end, Little N’s mom gave him a needed assist. So, I would suggest that if the child is as young as mine, that you do this project when a parent is around to help out, as needed.

Having been distanced from my own grandkids for nearly a year, I have renewed empathy for grandparents who live too far away to visit regularly. Crafting together can be a rewarding way to connect with grandkids.

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