Grandparents Day is the first week in September. If your kids don’t normally get to spend time with their grandparents, now is the perfect opportunity. Don’t let another moment pass. Consider these ways to spend time with Grandma (and Grandpa) and make it a date.
Pass down a tradition.
Ask Grandma to share something from her childhood with your children. Whether it is a game, recipe or book, sharing with the next generation rekindles Grandma’s memories and creates new ones for your kids today.
Get to know each other better.
Ask the kids and Grandma to make a list of questions that they don’t know about each other in a journal. Take turns asking questions and record Grandma’s answers in the journal. Then, have each person to share a memory from a common time in their lives (ie: kindergarten, first day of middle school, 16th birthday, etc.).
Shake up your family tree.
Ask Grandma to tell you the names of her parents, grandparents and siblings. You may discover family names that have been passed down for generations. Find out what part of the world your family comes from and when they arrived in this part of the country. If Grandma speaks another language, ask her to teach you a few words. Does your family have any traditional clothes or music that has been hiding in the attic? Pull them out and tell their story.
Your family in pictures.
Let Grandma be the tour guide through memory lane. Pop some popcorn and pull out the family movies. Dig to the back of the closet and dust off the photo albums. Your kids will love to see the house you grew up in and your childhood pets. Let them laugh at the crazy clothes you wore and the hairstyles of the day. Don’t forget to take out the baby pictures of each child and show them how much they have changed in just a few years.
Bring Grandma into this century.
OK, Kids, it’s your turn. Bring Grandma a Tiger Beat magazine and gush with her over One Direction. Introduce her to Instagram and help her create an account. Show her how to play Just Dance on the Wii or Minecraft on Xbox. Explain what emojis are and send her a few via text.
Take silly pictures.
End the day on a high note. Set up a backdrop with a sheet and decorative lights. Print out photo booth prop templates like eyeglasses, hats and mustaches or use some items from a box of dress-up clothes. Take pictures of Grandma and the kids being silly. Preserve the memories by framing the photos and displaying them in a special spot in your home, or make a photo book online and get two copies (one for Grandma and one for the kids).
