At a time when the number of mixed or single-parent families is constantly increasing, the role of grandparents is significant. They embody stability. They are often the ones who cherish the family memories (family photos, family home, etc.). They are the guardians of the family foundations and they are the ones who pass on fundamental values such as family, loyalty, respect, tradition, etc.

Grandparents can play the role of complementary educators. They are further away from our hectic pace of life and have the time and patience to take care of their grandchildren’s education. Their role is not to replace or contradict the parents but to support and accompany them.

The role of transmitting knowledge to the child is played by the grandparent. They are often the ones who teach particular skills to the youngest: fishing, cooking, knitting, gardening, etc. This type of activity allows for exchanges and discussions, the child is free to express himself and he develops his open-mindedness.

Finally, grandparents do not only give, they also receive a lot from their grandchildren: happiness, a feeling of usefulness, but also concrete learning. Grandparents who are in close relation with their grandchildren remain in contact with a generation and an era that are no longer their own. The role of the grandchildren is also to guide the grandparents in this new connected world.

Don’t forget to thank them!
If you have the opportunity to visit them, this is what will make them the happiest. Once there, organise an activity to strengthen your ties; go to an exhibition, go to the theatre, play a board game, cook a grandmother’s recipe, etc. Moreover, age does not reduce some people’s passion for gossip. Grandmothers love to know everything about every member of the family. Let them ask you hundreds of questions, talk about everything and anything… without moderation! 

To make your visits to your grandparents even more lively, send them a Tribu album (www.mytribunews.com) every month! It allows you to put pictures to your stories, to remember them the next day and of course to be able to tell the stories of each (grand) child to all the other family members.

If you can’t visit them, at least think about making a phone call from time to time. Or at best, send them a letter or a postcard. Old-fashioned, you might say? Good for you! Grandparents aren’t exactly known for being « fashionable ». And that’s why we love them so much.

GAMES

 We all know that grandparents enjoy puzzle games. If you know that your Grandma or Grandpa likes these kinds of games, you could add one or maybe several; so they don’t have to fight over it. List of potential games: wordsearch, crossword puzzle, number puzzle, Sudoku, Kemaru, Kakuro, Rikudo, anagrams …

🔍 Where to find ? Type on Google « Grid games » or find some websites such as Sudoku game (https://sudoku.game/hard), Crossword Puzzle, Kemaru, …

Tip ! Choose qualitative grids and large enough for the reader to complete the grid easily. 

a joke a day keeps the doctor away

Why not crack a joke? A cool quiz about the family? A rebus? Riddles? Create your own soap and put a cliffhanger at the end, so they long for more every month (okay this might be pushing it, but you get the idea right?). 

Tip ! Don’t give away the solution just yet. Put the solution in next month’s Tribu. This will keep everybody busy!

DID YOU KNOW ?

What is your reader passionate about? Try to find a « fun fact », an unusual story, a news item that he/she doesn’t know yet. Describe it to him/her. He/she will probably be surprised to see that you are interested in his/her passion!

DAY-TO-DAY

Why not add photos of your daily life, from the picture of you half asleep, to a blurry picture of you chasing your kid? You don’t need a super-active life to immortalize those little moments that may seem trivial but can be a lot of fun to look at for a grandparent.

DRAWINGS

Children make drawings, a lot of them. Impossible for us parents to keep them all. But I bet your grandparents love looking at every one of them. Take a photo and immortalize them in your family newspaper (then throw them away – or just keep the very good ones). 

it’s a cake

If you are lucky, you have someone in your family who loves baking. Maybe encourage them to share his/her recipes in your newspapers? We are not responsible for drooling marks on your newspapers.

whatever you do, just have fun !