Fun Learning Activities to Do with Your Grandchildren

One of the great joys of retirement is being able to spend more time with your family. Here are some ideas for what to do with your grandkids when they’re around:

Cooking

So much of family is centered around food: the food we eat every night, the food we bring to holidays and special occasions, and the cakes and candies we have as treats. The kinds of foods your grandkids eat now will shape the things they like for the rest of their life. Sharing these foods and how to make them can be a great way to spend time with your grandchildren. You can teach them important skills and explain the stories that go along with the meals you’re making together. Kids can learn how to follow instructions, how to use different tools, how to be safe in a kitchen, and (sometimes) they can have fun and get messy! Kneading dough and mixing batter are both fun tactile experiences for kids.

The Aquarium

In the winter months going to a zoo and walking around outside might be too cold, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have options for showing grandkids things from the natural world. Aquariums can be a great way to educate kids and show them amazing sights from around the world. Aquariums are great places to build vocabulary. Seeing different kinds of fish in huge tanks is enough to give even adults a sense of wonder, and that wonder often leads to curiosity. Kids can learn all sorts of new words and facts as they go through this very visual and hands-on learning experience.

Reading

Reading the stories you grew up with can be another great way to teach your grandkids the lessons and skills you think are important while also sharing key pieces of your family’s culture with them. You can read the same stories to your grandkids that you read to their parents, which can create a meaningful connection between all the generations of your family. Not only that, but you get to experience these children’s classics again. You can remember the wonder and color that comes with opening a book by Dr. Seuss, or the wit and playfulness that comes with reading poems by Shel Silverstein. And you get to see the reactions of your grandchildren experiencing these wonderful books for the first time.

Games

Games are a great way to teach kids different kinds of strategic thinking. Any traditional card game with a normal deck of cards can be a great way to give kids practice with math and complex decision-making. The rules may be simple but playing these games and playing them well can be quite complicated! Other classic games like Scrabble can be a great way to help kids practice their vocabulary and also show off what words they’ve learned so far in school. Retirement is a great time to start exploring these things with your grandchildren. If you are looking to spend more time focusing on your family and less time focusing on your finances, contact us for a complimentary review of your financial plans today.