Seeking advice and tips for a good thing

[Marthe48]

What can I do as a Grandma that doesn't include gifts, food treats, or handing out money? I am the only grandparent in their lives, so I feel like I'm representing all of the others, and want the kids to have good memories of all and be good grandparents if they have families. And they are my only grandchildren.

It is a more that I wan to follow their parents' preferences, otherewise I wouldn't ask. I see the kids once a week or more, and hang out with them, tell stories, play games, or talk about the games they play, hear about their day and such. I am lucky and I know it

Does anyone have any tips for me? Many thanks

[Alliepoo]

1. How old are your grands?

[Easterncedar]

2. I am the hiking granny

I introduced the kids to birds and wildflowers and some outdoor games. Bocce is fun for mixed age groups, if the older ones are tolerant.
Last week we made “lemonade” from sumac flowers, and that was a big hit!
I only see them once or twice a year, so I have to make it fun.

[dweller]

3. My parents bought bonds

for their grands … I think they gave them on their birthdays.
Grandparents have passed now, but the kids all have a stack off bonds that matured .



✌🏻

[KarenS]

4. teaching them old skills

Like cooking and baking and sewing and crocheting and knitting

[bucolic_frolic]

5. Do your genealogy and write down your family lore, even if it's incomplete or scrambled or nonsense

Verbal lore gets distorted over time, because people don't listen, don't remember, or are soused at family gatherings when they learn of great great uncle Elmer twice removed.

I had a tale that a family member fell off a wagon and was killed by a horse. Trouble is, when I contacted a third cousin twice removed, he has the paperwork - death certificate - to prove it happened to his dad, not my g-g grandfather. This did not happen twice I'm sure, and besides the death certificate for my ancestor was sclerosis of the liver - he drank too much or the wrong stuff.

So every little detail particularly if from pre 1900, can help with location, migration, etc. Census records became more detailed as time moved along. Don't expect much prior to about 1860. THen they added occupation, place of birth, birth of parents. Ship's manifests same thing.

Draw a family tree. Spend time on ancestry and all its free competitors, often ancestry is free in a library. Get a close relative, granddaughter to help with the record keeping. Maybe even digitize the information.

[Lonestarblue]

6. I know several grandparents who take special trips with their grandchildren.

Some choose a special birthday, such as turning 16, and allow the grandchild to choose where to go. Others might choose other birthdays and let kids choose something special, such as a trip to a baseball game or a live theater production or a concert. Depending on how much you have to spend and a child’s interests, you might simply take just one at a time to a museum or to a special event such as a local gymnastics competition followed by dinner together or to a nearby college event. Just sharing time one on one really creates special memories for kids.

[elleng]

7. Be yourself,

be welcoming and kind.

I give my 2 daughter's families 'fruit of the month' club memberships, have done for years, so they appreciate the fruit and me.

[Scrivener7]

8. Teach them crafts. It probably requires buying the materials, though.

Knitting, clay sculpture, paper mache. My dad had a wood workshop so we did woodwork.

[no_hypocrisy]

9. Give them memories

1. Teach them how to cook
2. Put them in your car and do Grandma’s Magical Mystery Tour(s). Each time somewhere amazing
3. Tell them about their family heritage, e.g., the first immigrants in America

[vlyons]

10. Here's a few ideas

* Show up for their school events: choir, plays, sports, dances etc
* Take them to an art museum or natural history museum
* Go with them to their church
* Teach them how to dance
* Teach them to play bridge, canasta, backgammon, chess

[Jilly_in_VA]

11. Oral history

Record all your memories some way. You can write them down if you want or record them. Tell stories of your childhood, stories about your parents and grandparents, things you did as a child that they might not know about. Talk about your childhood friends, your school experiences, your teachers, everything.

You can buy pre-made books that help with this, or subscribe to sites like Storyworth that give you prompts with interesting questions. I don't know about your grandkids, but mine love stories about "when Grandma was little". Storyworth will make a book for you. If you choose to do the "write it down yourself" mode, you can either go the handwritten route or do it on the computer. If you do the latter and put it on a memory stick, I think Staples will still do a plastic bound book for you. My dad wrote a memoir of his WWII experience for the family that is amazing and had it done that way.

[No Vested Interest]

12. Sing songs that are familiar and upbeat and that you know and like.

Any songs with their names in it:
I sang "Little Annie Rooney", "Mary is a grand old name", "Charlie my Boy", and "Peter Cottontail" to my brood.

George M. Cohan songs are great - "You're a Grand Old Flag", "Give My Regards to Broadway".
How about "Hard-hearted Hannah" - my father used to sing that one and I loved it.
"Bicycle built for two".


Have fun!!

[Marthe48]

13. Thank you for so many good ideas

I'll tell you, I want to be your grandchild!