5 Ideas to Try When Family is Far Away

Morgan and I really love living where we live. But, one downside is that we don't live super close to much of our family. I'm fortunate to have some of my family here, but that isn't the case for Morgan. So, it's been important for us to have something for the kids to be able to connect with family here at home. even if we can't see them in person regularly. 

For us, we have tried a family book and family cards. Both have been super successful and loved. But, I've recently seen some other great ideas and wanted to share. So, here are 5 ideas to try when your family doesn't live close! 

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You can make your own book of family pictures or we have used these books to make ours. All of my kids, but Gus in particular, love these books and will sit for long times talking about all the people in the pictures. Using a small photo album would have a similar effect. 

Hanging family pictures at your child's height is another great way for your children to see, and recognize family members! I love this simple frame example from my friend Junnifa! Otherwise just hanging pictures low enough for your child to see. This is one thing I need to get better about! A few laminated pictures hung low with picture hanging strips would make things safe and easy for even a baby to see. 

I recently came across this idea and loved it. It takes this latches puzzle and uses family images instead of the cartoons for children to discover. If I was to make this work {which I just might!} I think I would paint the entire puzzle a simple white to call attention to the latches and to the pictures. The pictures could be rotated to include different family members or other things that your toddler loves. 

This puzzle would provide a similar effect without needing to DIY.

I really liked this family faces matching game for an older toddler that is into matching. Gus isn't quite there yet, but it could really speak to a child that was. It's an idea I will have to keep in mind as he gets a little bit older! Nora might like a memory version of something like this. 

I made these cards for Nora way back when she was a toddler. They were a great way to talk about our family and we're well loved! The only issue is getting a nice clear picture of each member of our extended family is tougher and there's a lot of them! But, it could work!