Family connections

How kids can call grandparents on their own, no smartphone

A video call on a parent’s phone is a call the parent starts, holds and ends. A call from the child’s own handset belongs to the child. Here is how to set that up without a smartphone, and without asking grandparents to learn anything new.

Ring Ring Club October 11, 2026

A conversation to start with

“What would you like
to use a phone for?”

Calling a friend. Checking in after practice. Joining a group chat.
Different answers can lead to different choices.

Why a borrowed phone is not the same call

When a child calls a grandparent on a parent’s phone, the parent starts the call, stays nearby and ends it. The call happens when a parent has a free hand, which is often not when a child wants to talk. A child who is unsure how to start a conversation will often wait to be asked.

A phone of their own changes who is in charge of the call. The child picks up, dials and talks, and the grandparent gets the child rather than the parent holding the phone.

“Our kids call their grandparents on their own. Sometimes our parents hear more about their day than we do.”
Christophe, cofounder, Ring Ring Club

Four ways a child can call a grandparent

A parent’s smartphone or tablet. Free, and good when grandparents like video. A parent starts and manages every call, and the child spends the call looking at a screen.
The family landline, if you still have one. Kids can dial it themselves, but it is a shared line that rings for anyone who has the number.
A cell phone or smartwatch for the child. Portable, which a home phone is not. It also comes with a monthly plan and whatever else the device can do, so it raises the smartphone question we cover in how to delay a first smartphone.
A kid’s home phone. A handset with no screen that calls only the people a parent approves. Ring Ring is one. Tin Can and Pinwheel make similar phones, and we compare them in Tin Can vs Ring Ring Club.

For a child who is home most of the time and has a short list of people to call, the last option is the one that matches the job. The screen-free phone page covers how it works.

What grandparents have to do: nothing new

Grandparents keep their cell phone or landline. They do not need an app, an account, a smartphone or a Ring Ring of their own. A parent adds their number as an approved contact, or sends an invite link, and a grandparent who opens it joins by typing a name and a phone number.

After that, calls work in both directions. The child dials grandma, and grandma can call the child’s Ring Ring number, because her number is on the approved list. Her own phone plan’s normal rates apply, as they would for any call.

Set it up in six steps

Pick the phone. The $75 Modern Kit is a Wi-Fi handset. The $89 Nostalgic Kit is a corded phone with the Bridge included. If you already have a corded phone you like, the $59 Bridge connects it; see whether your old phone qualifies.
Choose the plan. Calling a grandparent’s cell or landline needs a paid plan: $8.95/month or $96.66 billed annually. The free Starter plan only covers calls between Ring Ring members and cannot call outside numbers.
Choose a spot. The phone needs power and an internet connection, and works best where your child can hear it ring. The setup guide walks through it.
Add the grandparents. In the parent app or dashboard, add each number as an approved contact, or send an invite.
Assign a quick-dial key. Your child dials * and a number from 1 to 9. “Star 1 is Grandma” is easier for a young child than ten digits.
Test a call both ways with the grandparent on the line. Do not use an emergency number to test.

Make the first calls easy

Start with a time that suits both households, such as after school on one weekday and Sunday morning, then let it loosen. Short calls are fine. A child who talks for four minutes about a dog is doing it right.

Give kids a few openers, such as “Ask Grandpa what he did when he was my age,” and give grandparents the same grace. Set quiet hours so calls do not land at dinner or bedtime, and use the pause control if the phone needs a day off.

Ring Ring does not record or listen to calls. The parent dashboard shows who called, when and for how long.

When this is not the right fit

Your child needs to call from school or the park. A home phone stays home.
The grandparents want video. This is voice only, so pair it with an occasional video call.
The grandparents live abroad. This guide covers US numbers, so ask us first.
You are not sure your child is ready. Start with what age a first phone makes sense and the first-phone guide.

For a holiday gift, our guide to gifts for long-distance grandparents covers the cost and how to wrap it.