Halloween is perfect for long-distance family fun. It’s full of imagination, silliness, and easy ways to connect, no matter your grandchildren’s ages. Whether they are toddlers, tweens, or teens, here are a few ways to make it special this year.
Top Tip before we dive in: Sometimes you just have to go with the flow of what your grandchild is into in the moment—especially around celebrations (which are often sugar-laden and full of excitement!). They might just want to show you their decorations or tell you about their costume. But it’s always a good idea to have a game ready to go.
It can be the difference between a parent saying, “Nana’s on the phone, come say hi,” and “Nana’s on the phone—she has a game to play with you.”
For Teens (and Parents!)
Use Halloween as a chance to reach out to older grandchildren and be playful. Their smartphones—and the social media they scroll through—can fill their developing minds with judgment and comparison and impact their mental health.
That’s why your “content” (the messages they receive from you) matters so much.
You want what they get from you to be positive and a reminder that they belong and are loved.
Photos are a powerful way to do this. Try sending an old Halloween picture—of yourself, their parent, or even them as a toddler in costume. For teens, this can spark a memory or even a story they’ll share with friends (or their parents!).
But if they have their own phone, you also have a chance to make your messages a little more playful.
I like to make it easy for you to shine as a grandparent and so I came up with some Halloween text messages and ran them by my teenaged niece.
She’s wonderfully candid — if they hadn’t turned out well, she would’ve told me.
But she liked them! Here are her exact words:
“Haha~ Those are super cute and I think it’s good they are short and the emojis will probably catch their attention too. They’re great!”
Here are the texts I sent her to reivew – choose the one that feels most authentic for you – and only send it ON Halloween or it won’t be as funny.
Zombies think teenagers are delicious. Run fast. 🧟♂️ Happy Halloween! Love you 😘
🍫 Don’t forget: chocolate is basically a health food on Halloween. Have fun tonight! 💖
👀 Look behind you… oh wait, never mind. Just me chasing you with a virtual hug! Happy Halloween! 💕
🎃 You’ll always be my little pumpkin (even though you’re taller than me).
🦇 I’m batty about you! Have a fang-tastic night! 🧛♀️
👻 Knock knock.
(Who’s there?)
Boo.
(Boo who?)
Don’t cry — it’s just me missing you! Happy Halloween!
Short, sweet, and just the right number of emojis (according to my niece!). Perfect for a smile — or even an eyeroll, which still counts as connection.
For the cherry on top…
You don’t have to do this next step because the thought and the text are enough. But if you would like to send a little something, text a digital gift card for their fave coffee shop (Starbucks seems to be all the rage for teens).
A digital gift card with a note that says: “This one’s for a spook-tacular drink — take a friend!”
You could do the same for a parent to any aged grandchild:
“In case you need something grown-up and sweet (or a little extra caffeine to get through all those trick-or-treaters tonight!). Have fun with the kiddos!
While teens may love a funny text or photo, if your grands are younger, they are still in that candy-and-costume wonderland stage. Here are a few ways to play together and make Halloween sparkle on Facetime.
Games for Younger Grandchildren
Try Spot the Ghost
This one’s a hit — and perfect for video chat.
Hide little ghosts, pumpkins, or spiders around your house and take your phone with you as you “walk through.” Tell your grandchild these pesky little ghosts are hiding around your house and ask them to help you find them.
Tell them to yell “Ghost!” (or “Pumpkin!” or “Spider!”) when they spot one.
Here’s the fun twist: before the call, tuck a tiny treat or message inside each hidden ghost. When they spot one, you can reveal the surprise – and mail them afterwards. This is what I call a Connection Loop (connecting different modes of communication – in this case a video chat to follow up mail).
For this game, a little movement with the camera — asking your grandchild to “look” for something — makes such a difference. Watch an example of this game in action on my Instagram here: The Long Distance Grandparent Instagram account
Virtual Trick-or-Treating
I’ve been sharing this idea since we first did this about 5 or 6 years ago with my own family. Invite your grandchild to knock on doors in your home via video chat. Each “door” can hide a small treat, sticker, or toy. They say “Trick or treat!” and see what’s behind the door.
It’s a fun, imaginative way to practice for the big night while laughing together.
So many grandparents have tried this one and had a ton of fun. It doesn’t have to be elaborate — the magic is in the pretending.
If you do it before Halloween, tell them you’re helping them practice trick-or-treating.
If you do it after, tell them you want to see how good they’ve become at it!
Either way, if you can, mail them the treats – although my family never did mail a thing and it was still a fun game to play from a distance.
Spot the Difference
Place a few Halloween themed items on a tray, or even on yourself (mask, hat, hold a black cat stuffie). Let your grandchild study them or you and then cover the camera and remove or change one item – and have them guess what’s different.
It’s a simple, playful game that works on Facetime because your grandchild must pay attention and look directly into the camera to play.
Final Note
So, here’s to a little laughter, a few spooky surprises, and a whole lot of love traveling across the miles.
These are the kinds of ideas I share inside The LDG Ideas Club — except I go even deeper.
Members get step-by-step instructions, examples, a short video of me sharing each idea (grandparents tell me they love these videos for inspiration and to see the ideas in action), plus printable snail mail to send to your grandchildren.
Each month, you’ll receive a digital PDF filled with games, conversation starters, and snail mail templates designed to keep your bond strong, no matter the distance.
My goal is simple: to make sure you never wonder what to say, send, or play again – and to help you carve out a unique and meaningful connection across the miles. But in the process, I want you to have fun too because it makes staying consistent over time much easier if you are both enjoying the moments shared together.
Happy Connecting!
