8 Great Activities for Grandparents Day
Try these fun ways to bond with your grandchildren as you celebrate the grandest day of the year!
By Felisa Billet
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Corbis ImagesSpend Quality Time with the Grandkids
Grandparents Day is a celebration of two of the most cherished titles in the world, Grandma and Grandpa!
Give your relationship wings by exploring shared interests, a fun outing, or a creative project.
Read on for 8 fun ways you can bond with your grandchildren as you celebrate the grandest day of the year. -
iStockphotoCook an Heirloom Recipe Together
Invite grandchildren to cook or bake a favorite recipe that is special to you. Whether it's your mother’s strawberry shortcake or your aunt’s streusel-topped muffins, delight in the adventure of creating a family recipe with your grandchildren.
While little kids enjoy mixing, pouring, and stirring, encourage older, tech-savvy grandchildren to videotape the cooking session, which they can turn into a documentary showcasing your family’s culinary traditions.
Tip: If you don’t have the recipe for a specific dish you’d like to recreate from your childhood, search our collection of family recipes contributed by grandparents like you. -
iStockphotoNo Parents Allowed
Connecting with the next generation takes on a different dynamic when parents are not in tow. Whether you are headed to a ball game or the zoo, let the bonding begin as you spend time out of the house with the grandkids.
Not sure how to kick off a fun conversation? Good conversation starters for kids include questions like:
If you had a million bucks what would you do with it? What is something you have never done but would like to do? Would you prefer to go a week without a toothbrush or without a phone?
Tip: Check out conversationstarters.com for more ice-breakers and engaging questions. -
iStockphotoLearn Something New
Have you ever wondered how to build a wind-powered boat, design your own t-shirts, make a robot, or do a magic trick?
Well, make a day of it with your grandkids! As they master a new skill, they can remark with pride that they learned it with grandma or grandpa.
Tip: For an easy way to learn something new, check-out these how-to websites:
5min.com Five-minute how-to videos on thousands of topics make it easy to absorb nuggets of information on virtually anything. instructables.com Well-illustrated, easy-to-follow, step-by-step articles make comprehending new information a snap. monkeysee.com This how-to site features videos with printable transcripts and biographical information about the instructors. -
iStockphotoMake a Memory Box
Kids love treasures. Fill a special box with mementos like photos, vintage jewelry, certificates, ticket stubs, and even shells and knick-knacks, are perfect candidates for the memory box.
On Grandparents Day, bring out your trove of treasures and show the objects to your grandchildren, sharing stories and explaining why these items are special to you.
For inspiration, check out this article from Country Living on how to create a memory box.
Tip: As you prepare your memory box, include a few trinkets for your grandchildren to keep! -
iStockphotoShare Your Story, Interview-Style
Kids love listening to stories, whether they come from a book or from your own experience. Capitalize on the magic of storytelling — and turn it into a game — by instituting a Q&A format.
Give them a few sample questions to use until they get their creative juices flowing:- Early life (Where were you born? Did you like being the oldest, middle or youngest in the family? What do you remember most about your mother and father?)
- Schooling (Where was the first school you attended? What was your favorite subject? How did you used to have fun afterschool?)
- Career (What career did you choose and why? What responsibilities were or are part of your job? Would you advise young people today to consider your occupation?)
- Day-to-day living (What modern conveniences do you appreciate most? What advice can you give on how to get along with people?)
Tip: While younger kids will enjoy asking questions, invite older kids to record the interview, transcribe it, and print it into a booklet. Each Grandparents Day, conduct new interviews that can be added to the book. -
iStockphotoPop Quiz!
Alternatively, if you and your grandkids are relatively well informed about each other, make a multiple choice quiz about your likes and dislikes and have your grandchild do the same. Throw in funny answers along with real ones to keep the quiz light-hearted and fun. Swap the papers and have the other person answer the questions.
Tip: For help making quizzes online, check out easy-to-use websites like quizbox.com, quizyourfriends.com and proprof.com where you can make multiple-choice quizzes in 3 easy steps. For out-of-town grandchildren, email the quizzes or post them on a blog or Facebook page. -
iStockphotoBring Out the Art Supplies
Unleash your inner artist for Grandparent's Day! Choose a simple medium such as crayons, watercolors, markers, color pencils, or fingerpaints, and create a portrait of your grandchildren while they draw one of you. If your grandchild is a budding artiste, show them a step-by-step tutorial on how to draw a portrait.
Purchase frames from an art supply store so you can showcase the masterpieces you've created. Add real-life gallery feel by positioning lamps throughout the room for dramatic effect.
Tip: After the gallery showing, exchange pictures with your grandchildren so each can be displayed in the other’s home as a proper Grandparents Day memento. -
Courtesy of Amazon.comRead to Your Grandchild
Everyday is a good day to read to your grandkids, but you can use Grandparents Day to read books that have grandparents as main or supporting characters. As you read to them, talk about the characters and how the grandparents impact the youngsters’ lives.
Prepare by picking age-appropriate books based on each grandchild’s reading level. Skim through the book in advance so you’ll be ready to give the text a lively and dramatic reading using different voices and inflections.
Tip: For new book ideas, try our reviews of the best children's books about grandparents, including The Grandma Book (pictured), by Todd Parr, which explores the many kinds of grandmas in the world. -
iStockphotoMake It a Tradition
However you decide to mark Grandparents Day, make your tradition a yearly ritual. Ongoing traditions provide structure and framework for bonding and are a wonderful way to get to know one another better.
Tip: For the winter holidays, present your grandchildren with a calendar marked with a special note on Grandparents Day. Writing it down months in advance will generate excitement and anticipation for your family’s Grandparents Day tradition. -
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I can always count on a nice long conversation if we are talking about World Wrestling Federation. If it's Monday night at 9 pm I havemy own private announcer, He knows everything about everyone on that. I never thought I would enjoy it, but I actually look forward to Monday nights.with him.