One of the highlights of many seniors’ day is when their grandchildren come to visit. Whether you are physically active and get out or if you are physically limited and at home most of the time, you can still find ways to have fun with your grandkids. Here are some ideas to get you started.

For the Physically Active

Enjoy sightseeing with your grandkids when they come to visit. Take them to the zoo or the museum and see things through their enthusiastic eyes. If money is a concern, you can find many free things to do. Even an afternoon in the park tossing a ball can provide a lot of fun. Go on a nature walk and collect things that you can assemble into a scrapbook. Some other suggestions:

Go to a ballgame – If there isn’t a pro team around, check out the high school games.
Take a class together – Many career centers or other organizations will offer classes on hobbies. If there’s something you both are interested in, see if there is any age limit to the class.
Volunteer – This is a great way to teach kids to help others by setting an example. You can visit nursing homes or hospitals or help out at a homeless shelter.
Have them help you garden – Let them pick out some flowers or vegetables they would like to try and grow.

For Those That are Physically Limited

Don’t think your grandkids won’t want to spend time with you if you can’t get out and do the things you used to. You can still provide fun time and a great learning experience even if you must stay at home.

Teach them their family history – Before they arrive, get out some old photos of you when you were young and their parents when they were kids. Have them help you assemble a photo album as you tell stories about those times.
Teach them a craft – If you know how to crochet or sew or do woodworking, you can teach them the basics. This is a great way to spend time rather than watching TV or playing video games.
Read together – Introduce them to one of your favorite books.
Rent old movies from when you were young and tell them about the first time you saw the movie.
Bake together – Teach them one of your old favorite recipes or try one that’s new for both of you.

The Importance of Quality Time

It is easy to think are not an important part of your grandchildren’s life and they may often act that way. The truth is you have a vital role to fulfill even if it isn’t obvious at the time. Kids need to know their history and have ties with the past to help them grow into healthy adults.

Your grandchildren will be more likely to listen to your stories and opinions than to their parents. This gives you the opportunity to teach them valuable life lessons that they will carry with them into the future. You can also teach your grandchildren important life skills such as reading, cooking, and gardening.

Take the time to learn from them, too. Ask them to teach you how to use Facebook if you aren’t already a fan. If you are, there is always Pinterest or some other new site that is popular today. Find out why they like particular sites or video games or whatever they are interested in. Parents are often busy and do not get to spend as much time with their kids as they’d like to. You can give your grandchildren much needed attention.

Even if you are not able to do all of the things you once were, you can find activities that you can handle. If you have homecare services, they can assist you in preparing for your grandkids’ visit.

If you need help getting your home ready for the grandchildren’s visit, our caregivers at Carefect Homecare Services can help. We realize the importance of family and know that you may not be able to do things the way you’d like. We can help you with housekeeping and laundry to get your house in shape. We can also assist you with preparing meals or shopping so that you will have food in the house for hungry grandchildren.