A postcard a month for the grandparents: 12 ideas for the year

Grandparents rarely want more stuff. They want to know what the kids are up to, and they like having something to hold. A postcard a month does both. It takes a few minutes, and it gives them a small collection for the fridge by the end of the year.

Here is one idea for each month. None of them needs a special occasion.

Twelve months, twelve cards

1. January: the snow day. A photo of the snowman, the sled or just the boots by the door. "We made it to the end of the street and back."
2. February: a drawing. Photograph something the kids drew and put it on the front. Let them dictate the message, spelling and all.
3. March: what is growing. The first shoots in the yard or a bean in a paper cup on the windowsill.
4. April: the missing tooth. Close-up, big grin. Include the going rate from the tooth fairy.
5. May: a thank-you. For the birthday present, the visit or the recipe. Show the gift in use.
6. June: the last day of school. Same pose as the first-day photo, if you have one.
7. July: the summer project. The fort, the lemonade stand, the fish that was "this big".
8. August: something they taught you. "I made your tomato sauce. It was almost as good."
9. September: the new classroom. A new backpack, a new teacher's name and one thing they are excited about.
10. October: the costume. Send it before Halloween so they can show the neighbors.
11. November: one thing we are thankful for. Ask each kid for one sentence and put all of them on the back.
12. December: the year in one photo. The best picture of the year, with a single line: "Our favorite day."

What to write on the back

Keep it short and concrete. Three lines are plenty:

• One thing that happened this month.
• One thing a grandchild said, word for word.
• When you will call or visit next.

Kids' own words work best. "Grandpa, I can ride without the little wheels now" will be read out loud to everyone who visits.

Making it a habit

The hard part is remembering. Two ways to make it stick:

• Pick a day. The first Sunday of the month is card day. Choose the photo together at breakfast.
• Set it up once. On postcards.lol you can choose a monthly or weekly plan and write a prompt once, such as "every month, tell Grandma what's blooming in the garden". Each card gets a new message and picture, and you can change the prompt or cancel at any time.

A note on photos

Pictures with faces, taken in daylight, print best. Hold the phone sideways: a postcard front is wider than it is tall, so a landscape photo fills the card without cropping anyone out.

Ready to start? See postcards for grandparents, or make this month's card now.