Spilling your true stories can overcome any age gap and create life-changing closeness across generations.

And experts say Australia’s ageing population is a profound opportunity to introduce “grandfriends” into childcare and education settings for multi-gen storytelling.

Griffith University Emeritus Professor Anneke Fitzgerald says bodies and brains of all ages benefit when young and old come together and swap stories.

Professor Fitzgerald points to the Australian Institute for Intergenerational Practice’s Bridging Ages life stories project, which shows “it may delay some cognitive and physical decline” in older people, while younger children “develop a level of empathy that is very, very evident.”

Her team’s research even suggests that when three to five-year-olds mix with older people, it may reduce their later delinquency as teens.

“What we do know is it creates very good and strong relationships,” she says.

One-on-one time with an album or book seems to works best.

“That’s the highest level of engagement you can have: sitting with a child on your lap reading a book with them.,” she says.

Such tactile, visual elements add layers as a shared sensory experience.

Grandfather of five Riley Lee also says watching his wife Patricia share family stories with their grandkids gives him a wellbeing boost by proxy.

“I get great pleasure listening to Patricia tell stories … about her childhood and watching how they listen to her with wonderful concentration,” he says.

One of those grandchildren, Oskar Lee, 11, says his grandparents “use photos to describe the stories”, like their picture board with his mum holding a puppy and his aunt dressed as an astronaut.

Funny, strange and suspenseful stories often succeed more than morality tales, as when Oskar’s country-raised grandma was once followed home from school.

Footsteps and eerie moaning close behind her turned out to be a snuffling pig – but the tale’s delicious mix of terror and trotters make it a family favourite.

Oskar says his grandparents’ interesting stories, “where something either bad or funny happens … helps me understand what it was like for them. I can piece together bits of their life that were similar to mine … and connect them somehow.”