“Say hi to Grandma” — and then thirty awkward seconds of a child staring at the screen, unsure what to say next. A picture book can rescue that call.
A video call asks a lot of a young child: sit still, look at a screen, come up with something to say in a language they may use less often, to a person they may only see this way. It’s no wonder these calls sometimes fizzle out fast. A shared activity gives everyone something to actually do together, instead of making conversation carry the whole weight.
Kids don't need to make conversation. They need something to do — and a story is one of the easiest somethings there is.
Having Grandma or Grandpa read a favorite picture book over the call — or having your child “read” it to them — turns a stilted video chat into something closer to real read-aloud time. It also happens to be one of the most natural ways for a grandparent to pass along the home language: hearing it from another loving voice, not just from a parent, reinforces that this language belongs to more than one relationship.
- Keep a small set of favorite books at both ends of the call, so everyone's looking at the same page
- Let a grandparent read while your child follows along or repeats phrases
- For an early reader, let them read to their grandparent — it's motivating in a way reading to a parent alone sometimes isn't
- Keep the book short — a five-minute story is plenty for holding attention across a screen
Over time, a regular reading date with a grandparent can turn into something your child genuinely looks forward to, rather than a call they’re prodded into. And for a grandparent living far away, it’s a small, repeatable way to stay woven into a child’s life — and their language — even from a distance.
A collection of my own reflections on raising bilingual kids abroad — without the pressure to get it perfect.