Grandchildren are one of our greatest joys. And whether we live next door, across town, or hundreds of miles away, grandparents want to be thought of and remembered; we want to be an important part of our grandchildren's lives.

If you live within 10 minutes of your grandchild, your opportunities for contact are unlimited. If you reside far away and only visit once or twice a year, your contact will be harder but no less essential. In either case, being an integral part of your grandchild's life definitely means doing more than sending a card on birthdays or a gift at the holidays.

I have two grandchildren: Michael, who is 13 and lives close to me, and Darbee, who is 11 and lives in New Mexico (about a 17-hour drive since I don't fly). I believe that long-distance families have become more the norm than the exception, and it's critical that we don't allow the miles that separate us to make a difference. Just because it's easier to have family gatherings and sleepovers when you live in the same town does not negate the responsibility we have to our grandchildren. On the other hand, don't assume that closeness in distance means closeness in spirit.

The importance of staying in touch is something we all already know; we just need to be reminded. Toward that end, I want to share some ideas.

Most of us have Internet, but how often do we take time to send a few lines to let a grandchild know we are thinking of him? Most of us have phones, but how often do we make a quick call to see how her day went?

And even if you provide frequent e-mails or calls, is that enough to attract the attention of your teenage grandchild if you don't know where her interests lie? Ask yourself how much you know about her hobbies or sports activities, the books she likes to read. If you don't know, find out. Darbee likes books about animals and China. She loves art projects. She goes to keyboard lessons each week and has an imagination that won't quit. Michael loves baseball and basketball, likes playing soccer and "shirt ball" in the basement, and enjoys golfing with his grandfather. Knowing all this gives me many options for how to communicate and bond with them.

You don't have to spend a lot of money to make a difference. Used-book sales at the local library or church festivals offer many children's books for a dollar or less, and dollar stores can be a gold mine for inexpensive art supplies or stickers. Balls are cheap for playing catch in the back yard, and a simple deck of cards will allow a multitude of games.

When Michael was young, we used to make up games when we got tired of playing the "same old stuff." For instance, we cut out round paper circles (you can use any type of scrap paper) and wrote the numbers 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50 on five circles (one per circle). We placed these circles on the floor at different distances (or on different steps if available). We would then choose light or dark checkers from an old checkers game, and toss them toward the paper circles. The person throwing his checkers would receive the points listed on each circle the checker landed on, and the first to reach 500 won.

Another game that I started with my grandchildren years ago is one of their favorites, and it can be played whether your grandchild lives nearby or across the country. When I'm visiting my son and his family, I want to hear from my grandson back home every day—but how do you convince a young child or a teen to call you? You make it fun and interesting. So, before I leave, I hide a daily "prize" around the house that's associated with a clue I've written out. Each day, Michael pulls a clue out of the basket and has to decipher what it means and then hunt for his prize. For instance, for "An illustration of sports," the prize was between two Sports Illustrated magazines; "Cool as ice" was hidden in the ice bucket; "Clothes not wrinkled" was under the iron; "Flowers of sun" was inside a vase of sunflowers.

I've also used scriptural quotes as a theme. For "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith," the prize was taped to the treadmill; "You are my lamp; O Lord; the Lord turns my darkness into light" was hidden under a lamp; "The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox" was placed under a stuffed lion; "Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything" was inside a potted plant.

I engineer the same game when I'm ready to come home from visiting my son and grand-daughter out of town. I hide the items on the last day, late at night, and my granddaughter then picks out her clues each day for the following week.

The goal is for grandparents to be part of the grandchildren's lives and to make it second nature for them to want to stay in touch. We have a lot to offer; we only need to make the effort!