Families For Life | Family bonding can be a grand time with grandparents!
Our bonds with our Grands are a special thing. It’s not just about their wise, worldly ways, but the comfort of their presence and support! Many of us have fond memories with our Grands and you’re probably thinking of continuing the memory-making tradition with your new family.
Today, it can be harder to get everyone together due to busy schedules and the prevalence of screens demanding our attention. In addition, some Grands might not be able to engage in activities that are too strenuous.
If you’re out of inspiration, you’ve come to the right place! Here are some low-intensity ideas to get your Grands involved with the family and help you find opportunities in daily life to build precious memories with them.
Bonding with the kids: Get crafty together!
Arts and crafts are a great way for children to bond with their Grands. Crafty activities encourage them to slow down, sit down together, and have fun! These activities can also fit into any schedule. So, the next time your family has a bored afternoon, whip out the brushes and the coloured pencils and encourage them to let their imagination run wild!
Here are some ideas to help you get started:
Make a picture book with spare sheets of paper. Choose who will write the story and who will draw the pictures, or better yet, tackle both activities together!
Let your Grands connect with the kids in our digital age by letting the grandkids show them how to film videos. Make props out of cardboard and act out a story! These videos will become precious memories for everyone in the family.
Bonding with the adults: Nothing brings people together like good food!
Cooking and baking are fun family activities that can bring your family closer to your Grands. This section could appeal to older children too! Like arts and crafts, cooking and baking are team activities that can strengthen bonds and encourage some quality one-on-one time together.
Here are some ideas to help you get started:
There are plenty of cookie recipes online for bakers of every level. Look through the options together with your Grands and decide on a recipe together! This also gives you the opportunity to discover their likes and dislikes and learn more about them as people. You can involve the little ones in the activity and decorate the cookies with icing pens after the cookies are baked!
Dinner prep is an excellent opportunity to bond with your Grands without having to set aside a whole afternoon. Younger kids can get involved by setting the table too!
Bonding with everyone: Connect over shared experiences
You can find quality time in the little things in life. Family activities don’t need grand plans, and it can be as simple as going to the library or the park! What’s important here is getting everyone involved and making time for each other to connect. You can also try incorporating quality time in weekly family traditions. Go grocery shopping together, have breakfast over the weekend as a family, or share supper with your Grands in the evenings. Soon, you’ll be bonding with your Grands like a pro!
Now that you have some ideas, let’s spend more quality time with our Grands and make lifelong memories with your family!
References:
https://familiesforlife.sg/pages/Activity/Spending-Time-with-Grandparents