Summer is soon upon us and in many parts of the U.S., the sun is already shining. Grandkids and grandparents across the country will be spending more time together, especially once school breaks for the summer. Looking for some fun ideas that you can do with the little (or not-so-little) ones this summer? Read on:
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10 Fun things to do with your grandkids this summer
Bicycle riding (or teaching them to ride)
Riding bicycles through conservation areas or national (or local) parks is a wonderful way to spend time together. If riding in nature, you’ll be able to share with them your knowledge on birds or other wildlife. It’s also great for burning off that “kid-energy”.
Teaching a grandchild to ride a bike for the first time might take Herculean patience but is so satisfying and will give them a treasured memory of you for the rest of their lives.
Teaching them a skill
Speaking of teaching, passing on generational knowledge is important to family culture. Perhaps you have a favorite recipe you would like to pass down. Older children can be taught how to make Grandma’s Meatballs or Grandpa’s Carrot Cake. In the future, this will also become a memory they cherish. Any learning like this can be taken into their future lives.
Building a birdhouse or doghouse together, decorating t-shirts or making jewelry are other fun activities, in which you’re actually helping improve your grandkids’ skillsets (and creativity). Teaching them to play games like checkers and chess will improve mental acuity for both of you.
License Plate Hunt
This one is a fun one for the “collector/achiever” type of child. Either as a dedicated trip or as you’re out and about, try to “collect” license plates on cars from all over the United States.
Geocaching
Think of Geocaching like a global, outdoor scavenger hunt. It’s a game in which coordinates are used to find “caches” all over the world. It’s terrific fun, especially for those with high-energy grandkids (you can do the “hard” GPS work and they can do the hunting)! People from all over the world hide and find geocaches, so it can be played wherever you live.
Most often, there are containers to be found, a log book to sign and small treasure that can be taken (you leave one-for-one). There are even “trackables” that move from cache to cache (there is even one on Mars.) Geocaching just celebrated it’s 20th anniversary and has a global community. What could be better than going treasure hunting? Find out more at Geocaching.com.
Beach activities
Even if your grandkids aren’t swimmers yet, there are sandcastles to be built and grandparents to bury in the sand. Play beach volleyball with a balloon or dip toes in the waves.
Cloud / Star watching
At one point, we’ve all looked up at the sky and watched the clouds, imagining which ones look like bunnies or faces. This is a good activity for calming an active child. You can even take this into the evening and watch the moonrise or teach them about the constellations.
Play tourist
Every town has a plethora of local sights to see. Go on a “vacation” and play the tourist with your grandkids, taking pictures of yourself with them at each landmark. You could even create a Vacation with Grandma or Grandpa scrapbook of your adventures.
Backyard picnic
Everyone loves a good picnic! You could incorporate teaching your grandkids about your favorite picnic foods and have them help cook. The treat at the end of the “work” will be laying out a blanket in the back yard and having a special afternoon picnic!
Clean up
Spending time at a park or the beach is a wonderful activity in and of itself, but imagine the impact you would have if you spent time teaching your grandkids about the environment whilst doing a clean up of a local outdoor area.
Gardening
What child doesn’t love digging around in the dirt? Give them a purpose by teaching them about different types of seeds, vegetables or flowers. Learning about nature and how things grow will help give them a sensibility about it as they grow also.
Regardless of which outdoor activity you choose, it’s bound to be fun for them (and for you). Enjoy your grandkids, the weather and make some memories.
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