Coloring Together With Grandparents, Near or Far: Easy Ideas for Visits, Video Calls and the Mail

The easiest way for grandparents and grandchildren to color together is to color the same picture: side by side during a visit, or printed in both homes and colored "together" on a video call. No rules to learn and no skills needed, and at the end each of you has a picture to swap, send or keep. A short story read aloud first, a few questions about when Grandma or Grandpa used to color, and twenty minutes is enough.

Below: ideas for visits, for long-distance video calls, for pictures sent by mail, and simple ways to make it a ritual you both look forward to.

Why coloring works so well across generations

• Nobody has to be good at it. A grandparent doesn't need to know the latest game, and a child doesn't need to sit still and talk.
• Hands busy, conversation easy. Talking side by side while coloring is often easier than talking face to face.
• It suits every age and ability. Big shapes for younger children, details for older ones, and a pace that suits grandparents too.
• There's something to keep. A picture colored together is a small souvenir of the time spent.

Ideas for visits

1. Same page, two copies. Each colors their own copy of the same picture, then compare. Two people, one scene, two completely different results.
2. Half each. Share one page: the grandparent colors the sky, the child colors the characters, or the other way round.
3. Story first. The grandparent reads a short story moment aloud, then both color the scene from it.
4. Grandparent's choice. The child chooses every color for the grandparent's page, and the grandparent has to use them. Expect purple trees.
5. Leave one behind. Finish one picture together and leave it on the grandparents' fridge until the next visit.

Coloring together on a video call

Coloring is one of the few activities that works just as well on a call as in person. A little setup makes it easy:

1. Print the same page in both homes before the call. Free printables are ideal: both households can download the same page.
2. Prop the phone or tablet against a stack of books, angled to show the face, or the page when you hold it up.
3. Read the story moment aloud at the start, grandparent or child.
4. Color for fifteen or twenty minutes, chatting or in comfortable quiet. It doesn't need constant conversation.
5. Show and tell at the end: hold the pages up to the camera and compare.

Pictures by mail

A colored picture in the mailbox is a lovely surprise at any age. Some ideas:

• Picture pen pals. The child colors a page and mails it; the grandparent colors the next page of the same story and mails it back.
• Finish my picture. One person colors half a page and sends it; the other finishes it.
• Write on the back: the date, the child's age and a line about the picture. Grandparents often keep these for years.
• A card instead of a picture. A colored card for a birthday or holiday, signed by the child.

Ask about the old days

Coloring time is a natural moment for grandparents to share stories. Questions children enjoy asking:

• "What did you color with when you were my age?"
• "What was your favorite color? Is it still?"
• "What did you play on rainy days?"
• "Did you have a coloring book? What was in it?"

Write the answers on the back of the picture: they become part of the keepsake. Our guide to keeping kids' artwork has ideas for storing pictures like these.

Make it a ritual

• Same time, regular rhythm: Sunday afternoon, the first Saturday of the month, whatever suits both homes.
• Keep it short: twenty minutes is plenty, especially on a call.
• Work through a series: one page from each book or season, so there's always a "next one".
• Let it be quiet sometimes. Coloring together doesn't have to mean talking the whole time.

Coloring with more than one grandchild at once? See coloring with siblings of different ages for setting up a shared table.

A Meowelo page for both homes

The twelve Meowelo free printables each have a short story moment to read aloud and a scene to color, which makes them easy to share across two homes: both print the same page, one reads the moment, both color. Every book follows the same rhythm, READ, NOTICE, COLOR and DISCOVER, so a grandparent can pick it up straight away.

Free for grown-ups · 40-page guide

The Meowelo Companion

The free Meowelo Companion is a 40-page guide for grown-ups on reading and coloring together. Plus 10 printable gifts for subscribers.

Get the free guide →

The one thing to remember

Coloring together doesn't need a skill, a screen game or a plan: just the same picture in two pairs of hands. Print it in both homes, read the story moment, color, and swap. That twenty minutes is what both of you will remember.