Suggestions: Things to do with the grandkids

J

jpgeek

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California
What are some great suggestions on things to do with little grandkids, 4-10 years of age. They have so much energy and well, lets face it, we dont anymore...

I am looking for new things to do that my wife and I can do along with these bundles of energy and joy! :rolleyes:
 

Nature museum, aquarium, boat ride, zoo or waterpark...not sure what's in your area. Some places have indoor rock climbing walls, I've never done it, lol, but my 2 nephews age 7 and 9 love physical things like that. Some places have indoor sky diving, it seems pretty safe, not too high up and rubber floor. I think it's just air blowing that keeps you floating.
 
Seabreeze hit them all LOL I was going to suggest finding those little known gems in your city, or within a reasonable driving distance, where you can teach them something while they are having fun (and maybe not even realize they are learning!).

I take my grandkids to the beach rather than a waterpark so that they can find shells and build sandcastles. Another great idea would be to take them to dinner at a Chuck E. Cheese type of place, kids usually seem to love those!
 

Definitely the zoo, sightseeing, traveling, the beach, the park. There's a ton of things grandparents and kids can do together.
 
A good idea is to take them to a park - let them run around and climb over everything, while you watch. Young children love an audience - 'Watch me, watch me' and what better audience then their own Grandparents!

Things to do indoors; puppet shows, buy some puppets or make some with your Grandchildren and let them put on a puppet show. Or let them dress up and put on a play - some children just love to ham it up and they just love an audience - a great way to use up all that energy plus a great opportunity for Grandchildren to show off their talent.

If your Grandchildren play a musical instrument or dance, with the arrangement of their parents, let them put on a 'show' for their Grandparents. When my mother turned 60, we had a special birthday party for her and she wanted to see the talents of all her Grandchildren. So, my siblings and I made sure that our own children practiced a special song or dance, just for Grandma. Grandma could just sit down and watch while, one by one, her Grandchildren took turns singing and/or dancing. A talent show is a great way (either indoors or outdoors) for Grandchildren to show off and run off all their energy and have fun.
 
  1. Load them up on junk food and sugar, then quickly return them to their parents.
  2. Tell them Mommy and Daddy said that Santa Claus isn't coming this year.
  3. Buy them a puppy, the largest, ugliest, meanest one you can find. The same can be accomplished with cats, rats, bats and honey badgers.
  4. Enroll them in your local Junior Red Brigade and don't tell Mom or Dad. Make sure you check the box that says "Parents wish to volunteer".
  5. Enter them in a full-contact MMA match.
  6. Survival training! It's important for children to have survival skills these days. Drop them off at the edge of the nearest State forest and drive away.
  7. Science! Science is always fun - break out your old chemistry set with the sulfur, the potassium permanganate and the alcohol lamps and let Junior discover the wonders of exothermic reactions.
  8. More pet ideas - goldfish. Get some piranha and tell the kids they're an exotic breed of goldfish.
  9. Local county / state fair - fill them up with cotton candy and zeppoles, then put them on every ride without pausing in-between.
  10. Triathlon - secretly enroll them, then enjoy the looks on their faces when you take them to the starting line early one morning.
 
One time, when my little grandson was over...I said "Hey! we can do anything you want to do, today...? I can take you to the batting cages or the zoo or....I continued to list a menu of
fun, exciting options.....? Then, he just looked at me and said "would you play jacks with me"? Then I thought about how busy his parents were all of the time....and how he definetly wasn't getting any personal "one on one".......? So we sat in the middle of the drive way and played jacks and then we drew hopscotches, with side walk chalk, and "hopped it up"!! Next we sat in the grass and played cards, while we ate a picnic lunch on the lawn. All the while, he was getting a ton empathy and understanding and "self esteem building affirmations" from gramma!:)
 
Ginger, that was awesome. We tend to forget that it's the simple little things that children cherish and are so often deprived of, usually in favor of throwing some expensive toy or piece of high-tech gadgetry at them and mistaking amount of money spent for love invested.

Well done!
 
Wonderful story Ginger, you're such a great gramma!! :love_heart: I agree that kids nowadays may be missing some of the simpler things in life that are key to shaping their characters, and bringing them real happiness, kudos!
 
Unfortunately, I have no grandchildren. Kids and animals love me, too. I just like to hangout with them and talk and play. Let them lead the way . . .
 
Card games are always good. Concentration will keep them and you busy for a while. Or even building card houses works
 
We used to take our daughters (and friends often) rock wall climbing. It's entertaining to watch them struggle around on it but keep at it. You can always check the newspaper but don't forget the local library, they frequently have kids programs for free that you can get in on. You might have to register ahead of time though.
 
It is hard keeping up with little grand kids, even coffee does not help. They have so much energy. I like to take them to the pool. We have an indoor and outdoor pool in our community and I find that if I take them for overnight trips, I get a pizza and a good family movie and take them swimming first. They are so tuckered out and hungry, they eat and fall asleep during the movie. It makes me feel satisfied because I got my body moving in the water and I spent quality time with them. Then they fall asleep saying I love you G-MA. That's my name to them. I love it.
 
My two youngest granddaughters, ages 3 and 5, live up the street, and while they are both busy with their school and friends all week.. they come to spend Saturday with 'Grandma'. They love one on one time, and doing basically all the simple things. It's easy to entertain them.

We color together, water paint, play in the sandbox I have for them out back, read books, and they love card and board games that are age appropriate. In cooler weather, we bake cookies.. They get a kick out of looking for any fruit/veggies they can pick in the yard and take home. Ditto for flowers! I try to explain that the flowers are better in the ground, than plunked to only die. They have a hard time with that reasoning!

The only hard thing this year was when their Grandpa died early in March. Coming to the house at first was a little awkward for them. But things are okay again, and I think we've talked it through as much as you can talk to a 5 and 3 year old about such things. I let them know they are free to ask and say all that's on their mind. It's worked out.

Love having them over ... but dogs can get a little jealous at times.
 
So sorry to hear about your husband, Boo's Mom. It sounds like you're handling it well, and are a big help to the little ones getting through it, also. I'll keep you in my prayers.

my grandchildren live nearby, also, and they visit often. Good to be able to see them grow and share things with them. The youngest is 10, so a bit harder to find things to do, but she likes to cook & bake, and do crafts. Sometimes we just sit and chat, and it's interesting how they have opinions on issues I didnt even think about at that age.
 
Anne said:
So sorry to hear about your husband, Boo's Mom. It sounds like you're handling it well, and are a big help to the little ones getting through it, also. I'll keep you in my prayers.
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Thank you Anne. Yes, I'm okay. We were married almost 50 years...high school sweethearts. And although it seems strange to be "going it alone" now at the ripe old age of 69, I can accept it. I didn't have the 'shock factor' of his death to deal with as so many do. He was very sick and in great pain for about two months before he died. I was prepared.

As for grandkids, God bless them! They need the comfort and wisdom of their grandparents more then ever in this crazy world we are living in now. They are growing up faster then we did.... their innocence gone so quickly.
 
Boo's Mom said:
Thank you Anne. Yes, I'm okay. We were married almost 50 years...high school sweethearts. And although it seems strange to be "going it alone" now at the ripe old age of 69, I can accept it. I didn't have the 'shock factor' of his death to deal with as so many do. He was very sick and in great pain for about two months before he died. I was prepared.

As for grandkids, God bless them! They need the comfort and wisdom of their grandparents more then ever in this crazy world we are living in now. They are growing up faster then we did.... their innocence gone so quickly.
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Glad to hear you are getting along, Boo's Mom.....50 years is a very long time; but yes, when a partner is suffering and you can't help them, that is terribly hard to deal with, also.

I agree on the grandkids - they have a difficult world to grow up in, and it is good they can still interact with us, even though they can't always understand why we think the way we do about things. Their childhood is so short, and I hope we can comfort them as much they do us, by just being there.
 
Living in Sydney Australia, We have one of the most picturesque ZOO's in the world.
It is on the foreshores of Sydney Habour, & is a great fun day for young & old.
My grandkids also like to play Monopoly when it's to wet & cold to be outside.:cool:
 
GDAD said:
Living in Sydney Australia, We have one of the most picturesque ZOO's in the world.
It is on the foreshores of Sydney Habour, & is a great fun day for young & old.
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GDAD, would so love to see Sydney and all of your wonderful continent !! .. in my dreams I guess.

My son is the the only family member to visit Australia, and that was mainly to pass through the airport for a connection to the states from Indonesia. He said Australia is the land of GIANTS, right? He is 6'4" and felt like a midget amongst your fellow countrymen. :)
 
When two of my grandkids were coming for a visit (they live 1800 miles away) I dug through some old coins I had and found a couple of Indian head pennies and some V nickles that weren't in good shape. Then I went to the bank and got some dollar coins, I also bought a mixture of foreign coins to add to the lot. I put them all in a metal box and buried it on our property.

I then wrote clues in various codes I made up, some simple, some a bit harder. Each clue, once deciphered, led to the next clue. They didn't know what was in the buried treasure, but those kids had so much fun figuring out the clues and anticipating what might be in the buried treasure.

And Granddad (me) had as much fun as they did. I highly recommend something of this nature for kids of all ages.
 
When I was working we had a crew from New Zealand here installing equipment we had bought from them.

We all thought it strange they all wore shorts even in the winter. I'm sure they thought we were strange too.
 
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