Fun Multigenerational Activities for Grandparents and Grandchildren

Posted by Donna Mae Scheib on July 26, 2019

Fun Multigenerational Activities for Grandparents and Grandchildren

Whenever adults spend time with their full multigenerational families, activities that are fun for children and grandparents alike can make valuable memories. For grandparents, this family bonding provides vital companionship, happiness, and engagement. For children, fun interactions with grandparents improve formative self-esteem and compassion. For the increasing numbers of adults in the “sandwich generation” who care for both their children and aging parents, fun activities can relieve caretaking stress and remind them how much their efforts are worth. Whenever you have time to see your family, making time for fun will be just as important to everyone’s wellbeing as getting affairs in order and remind you why doing so is worthwhile.

This article details various activities you can share with family members of any other age groups. Many involve making things, admiring things, and solving problems –much like the act of building family connections. A study from Kansas State University found that children who lacked interaction with seniors had negative misconceptions about aging, whereas intergenerational interactions dispelled these misconceptions in other children. As such, multigenerational bonding fosters maturity in children. For parents with caregiving stress and grandparents with loneliness, it brings relief. If you practice some of the actives below or invent your own based on your family’s uniqueness, your family can be closer than ever.

Arts and crafts

People of all ages enjoy the opportunity to create things. It gives children an outlet for their excited imaginations and adults both young and old the opportunity to embrace their inner child and pass on skills. You can all paint or draw pictures, mold clay, glue craft supplies together, or make pottery if you feel artistic enough to make something from scratch. If you’d like a bit more direction, arts and crafts stores offer kits for various home and yard decorations you can all assemble and personalize together. Tech-savvy younger generations will know how to find ideas online. Whatever the inspiration, your family can make art and crafts all your own.

Gardening

Whether flowers or food, gardens can stimulate adults mentally and give children an appreciation for nature and food sources. Blooming flowers and ripe vegetables teach children and remind adults of how they can reap rewards for their labors. Plus, kids love digging dirt and watering plants. It provides a sense of order and time-management also beneficial to adults, whether we feel too busy with work or not busy enough in retirement. Gardening also provides low-strain exercise for all. As a long-term activity, gardening provides a topic of conversation for when you’re away from family and contacting them remotely.

Movie night

Watching movies allows grandparents the chance to share family favorite films and younger generations to keep them up-to-date on new releases and trends. Seeing family movies in theaters can help with the latter aim while sharing them at home can allow you all to share lighthearted conversations (privacy breaks the “no talking during movies” rule). Between old and new films, children can appreciate old technologies that require physical libraries with cherished selections and grandparents can appreciate new technologies that provide convenient streaming of a wide and varied selection. Watching movies can relax you all at the end of the day.

Cooking

Cooking provides grandparents a valuable opportunity to pass down family recipes and children a valuable opportunity to receive them and improve their cooking skills overall. Plus, it lets all parties live out the idyllic fantasy of grandparents and grandchildren sharing cookies or other baked goods. Not that it has to be baked goods, of course; each generation will appreciate family recipes of all kinds for their uniqueness and the care that goes into making them. Pre-prepared meals can’t seem to compare in terms of satisfaction. Children can learn math from the measurement process and enjoy stirring and taste-testing. Adults will feel the satisfaction of passing on their knowledge.

Games and puzzles

Puzzles, cards, board games, and other games distinctly improve memory and cognition for the young and old. Whether the game is an old classic among the family or a new development the grandchild brings along, each generation can learn something new and keep their cognition sharp with the mental challenges games provide. Of course, digital versions of classic games now appeal to all generations –including increasing numbers of seniors. This means you can select almost any electronic game you want from devices. If grandparents introduce grandchildren to their old games, though, parents and grandparents will feel fond of nostalgia and grandchildren will learn how designs have changed over the decades.

Nature walks

Appreciation of nature knows no age group. Wherever you live, there will likely be several nearby parks or neighborhood blocks where you can walk with the family. If your family members live far enough away, walks can be a great opportunity to introduce children to the flora and fauna of a different bioregion. Even if you all live nearby, you can entertain the children’s excited questions about the environment and possibly even make a scavenger hunt from what you see. Walking helps everyone exercise –especially important to seniors, who should make a point of getting fresh air and knowing their neighborhood.

Restaurants

Visiting a favorite restaurant or discovering a new one can help bring families together. Whichever meal of the day you choose, restaurant visits are a treat lower-maintenance than cooking and let you share conversation. Kids will love the chance to choose their own meals, and it’s good to indulge their requests for dessert on special occasions such as these. Even if the grandparent cannot go much farther than a senior living facility, the cafeterias there also offer meals for the whole family. Sharing favorite restaurants pass on yet another tradition, and searching for new restaurants broadens everyone’s horizons.

Other family-specific activities

All of the above activities, plus others such as knitting, playing instruments, and using technology, will vary depending on your family’s unique skills and interests. Whatever you do or can have in common, it becomes much better for being shared across generations and forming a distinct family legacy.

Want more resources?      Learn More >>

Want to stay updated with our blog posts and other resources? Sign up for monthly newsletter >>