When I was 11, my grandpa moved to a nursing home, and my dad and I visited him nearly every day for the four years that he lived there. Since we visited so often, we got to know a lot of the other residents, especially those that did not have family that came to see them. My dad and I spent a lot of time chatting with these folks, and I know that we saw some of them far more than their own families did. Our visits meant so much to them and to us, as my dad was instilling a great respect for elders in me and a compassion to reach out to those who may be lonely.
Fast forward to now, and I have my own children. My dad passed away almost two years ago, and my mom is living in a retirement community. While not the same as the nursing home, she does have a lot of neighbors, some in their 80s and early 90s, who remind me of the people my dad and I used to visit. Since we see Grandma a lot, we've gotten to know a few of these neighbors too. But we can't visit as often as I like, so I've come up with a way to let them know we are thinking of them and to also start teaching my children respect and compassion for seniors just like my dad did for me.
This post contains affiliate links. See my Disclosure Policy for details.
My mom and her neighbors LOVE to get mail, so we've decided to make a regular project of sending postcards to her and her friends. My twins are more into coloring than drawing right now, so I made a few blank postcards for them to color. You can use these and be creative - add stickers, glitter, paint - or draw your own! Just click the button below to get yours.
My boys loved decorating their cards for their friends at "Grandma's house." Once the fronts were decorated we added personalized messages to the back (they dictated and I wrote). Then they were ready to go in the mail - I loaded them all into a big envelope for my mom to distribute.
I'm so excited to send them off! I know that these cards will brighten the day for a lot of my mom's neighbors who may be feeling lonely. I'm also planning on making a set for our local nursing home (my dog Grady and I used to visit the residents there before I had kids, and we hope to start again when the boys are in school), and I'd love to be able to deliver those in person so the boys can get to know them too!
You can do this project with your own parents or grandparents, or contact a local nursing or retirement home in your community. Most (if not all) of them will have an activity or social director to assist you. You can also find senior groups through churches or your community's senior citizen's center. Your local American Legion may also be able to connect you with a special group of senior veterans in your community.
You can do this project with your own parents or grandparents, or contact a local nursing or retirement home in your community. Most (if not all) of them will have an activity or social director to assist you. You can also find senior groups through churches or your community's senior citizen's center. Your local American Legion may also be able to connect you with a special group of senior veterans in your community.
I'm so excited to be doing this activity as part of the 100 Acts of Kindness Project hosted by the amazing ladies at Toddler Approved and Coffee Cups and Crayons. Be sure to visit them to see all the wonderful ideas for encouraging kindness in your children!
And be sure to check out an awesome new e-book from my friend Jodie at Growing Book by Book - Read, Create, & Share features 12 kindness activities matched with children's books. Learn more here.
