Dear LPG, 

About 14 years ago my son decided to study and work in Japan.  A few years later he married a lovely Japanese girl and before long I had two beautiful grandchildren.  Although my son tries to come home once a year with the family, it’s not always possible and it can be hard to ‘keep in touch’ with the grandchildren living so far away.  We have found however, that having a set time during the week to skype one another is the best way of communicating. It does take some commitment however, especially when there is a time difference.  Japan is 9 hours ahead of us, so I usually get up and wake myself up on a Sunday in order to Skype at 10 am our time, which is about 6 or 7 in the evening in Japan.   

In addition to using the Skype to chat to my son and his family we also use the Skype as a ‘teaching tool’.   All my 3 children are bilingual as their father is Spanish.  My son in Japan is trilingual being both fluent in Japanese, Spanish and English. My son wants his children also to be bilingual.  For the past year, therefore, I have been teaching the older grandchild to read in English.  This has been quite successful and my grandson, who is 7, is able to read in English at a reasonably fluent level for a Japanese child.   Any grandparent can use the Skype to read with their grandchildren though.  It’s simple, you just need 2 copies of what you intend to read.   You can do this by scanning the pages in advance to the child and just start reading with them over the Skype.  You can also ask them questions to check that they have understood what they have been reading.  As I am a retired teacher this is perhaps easier for me to do, but anyone can do it.  If you just want to read to your grandchild over the Skype, this also is ok, as children love to be read to.  You can show them the pictures with the camera as you read along.  So, get started today and become a ‘Skype grandparent’.  If grandparents want some helpful tips about how to read with your grandchild I will be happy to write a follow up to this article. 

Good luck from the Skype grannie.

Nb*    A word of caution. Never let a stranger read to your grandchildren or get chatty with any child over the Internet.   Be aware of child protection always and keep your grandchildren safe.  

JL, Rustington