Staying in touch with your extended family, especially when you have your own little ones to care for, can be tough and time-consuming.
As a result, you might find yourself overlooking some of your family members, or sending out generic communications like mass emails to share updates.
Keeping in regular communication with your extended family isn’t just fun; it can also be good for your health and theirs, particularly as they get older.
It can be especially tough to stay in touch with your extended family if they live far away, as you might not be able to visit them face-to-face regularly. So, when you do get together, you might find that you spend a lot of time catching each other up rather than having fun and making great memories.
So, you should consider ways to keep your extended family informed about your life throughout the year.
When you think of communicating with long-distance extended family members, you probably think of making phone calls every few weeks, doing the odd video call and writing them cards on special occasions.
These can all be great ways to keep in touch with your extended family, but they can get boring, so it’s worth exploring some innovative alternatives to traditional communication methods.
Here are some funky ideas that can be fun and help you to keep your beloved extended family up to date with your life updates.
Host Virtual Events
For family members that live far away, it can be tough to meet up in person. As such, you might find that virtual communication methods, such as video calls, are a convenient way to stay in touch with your extended family. To spice up standard video calls and make them more fun for you, your extended family and your kids, you could consider planning virtual events. These might include bespoke quizzes, virtual family game nights, or games that can be played digitally. Events such as these will be a unique way to make memories and have fun with your extended family without having to travel to see them in person.
Make Bespoke GIFs
Bespoke GIFs can be a fun way to turn a short clip into something funny and personal. Also, you don’t need a lot of technical skills to transform your clips and images into a quirky bespoke GIF. There are online tools that can allow you to make your own GIFs and turn family memories and funny moments into GIFs. You’ll then be able to use these quick clips to make in-jokes in family group chats and make your online communications feel more personal.
Craft Quirky Mementoes
Crafting one-of-a-kind mementoes, such as photo collections, a digital scrapbook, cards and collages, can be a fun way to share your memories with your extended family and involve your kids and other family members in the process. You can use your best craft supplies to make unique mementoes that incorporate family photos, handwritten messages from family members and other personal items. These handmade mementoes will be a great way to show your extended family that you care about them and give them a unique treat. You can use the items as gifts or just send them over out of the blue for a great surprise.
Share A Private Blog
A private blog is similar to a online journal that you share with your family and friends. All you have to do is write down your memories and experiences, then share the documents with your family. You can create password-protected blogs, or send the blog entries out as email documents to keep your extended family informed about your life. As well as writing down your thoughts and updates, you can also add photos and other media to the blog, and keep it on a shared online storage space, so your relatives can review your updates at their leisure.
Vlog Privately For Family
Another popular form of online communication and sharing is vlogging, or video blogging. Sharing video blogs about family life can be an innovative way to update your family on your experiences and life changes, but not everyone feels comfortable sharing this publicly. Also, vlogging about your family for the world to see can be a potential safety risk, particularly for young children, and be tough to manage. Instead, consider sharing private video updates with family and friends by creating a private YouTube channel or sharing your files on a file-sharing site. With a private online vlog, you can keep your relatives up to date with your lives, wherever they are.
Wrapping Up
Sharing your family memories can be a great way to feel connected to your extended family, even when they don’t live nearby. While a standard scrapbook or postcard can be useful at times, there are many fun ways to make connecting with long-distance family members more enjoyable. Use these ideas to find inspiration and start sharing more of your experience with your extended family.
