# Suggestions: Things to do with the grandkids



## jpgeek (Jul 17, 2012)

What are some great suggestions on things to do with little grandkids, 4-10 years of age. They have so much energy and well, lets face it, we dont anymore...

I am looking for new things to do that my wife and I can do along with these bundles of energy and joy!


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## SeaBreeze (Jul 17, 2012)

Nature museum, aquarium, boat ride, zoo or waterpark...not sure what's in your area.  Some places have indoor rock climbing walls, I've never done it, lol, but my 2 nephews age 7 and 9 love physical things like that.  Some places have indoor sky diving, it seems pretty safe, not too high up and rubber floor.  I think it's just air blowing that keeps you floating.


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## KokosMomMom (Jul 18, 2012)

Seabreeze hit them all LOL I was going to suggest finding those little known gems in your city, or within a reasonable driving distance, where you can teach them something while they are having fun (and maybe not even realize they are learning!).

I take my grandkids to the beach rather than a waterpark so that they can find shells and build sandcastles.  Another great idea would be to take them to dinner at a Chuck E. Cheese type of place, kids usually seem to love those!


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## OhioBob (Jul 25, 2012)

Definitely the zoo, sightseeing, traveling, the beach, the park. There's a ton of things grandparents and kids can do together.


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## Elzee (Oct 28, 2012)

A good idea is to take them to a park - let them run around and climb over everything, while you watch. Young children love an audience - 'Watch me, watch me' and what better audience then their own Grandparents! 

Things to do indoors; puppet shows, buy some puppets or make some with your Grandchildren and let them put on a puppet show. Or let them dress up and put on a play - some children just love to ham it up and they just love an audience - a great way to use up all that energy plus a great opportunity for Grandchildren to show off their talent. 

If your Grandchildren play a musical instrument or dance, with the arrangement of their parents, let them put on a 'show' for their Grandparents. When my mother turned 60, we had a special birthday party for her and she wanted to see the talents of all her Grandchildren. So, my siblings and I made sure that our own children practiced a special song or dance, just for Grandma. Grandma could just sit down and watch while, one by one, her Grandchildren took turns singing and/or dancing. A talent show is a great way (either indoors or outdoors) for Grandchildren to show off and run off all their energy and have fun.


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## SifuPhil (Oct 29, 2012)

Load them up on junk food and sugar, then quickly return them to their parents.
Tell them Mommy and Daddy said that Santa Claus isn't coming this year.
Buy them a puppy, the largest, ugliest, meanest one you can find. The same can be accomplished with cats, rats, bats and honey badgers.
Enroll them in your local Junior Red Brigade and don't tell Mom or Dad. Make sure you check the box that says "Parents wish to volunteer".
Enter them in a full-contact MMA match.
*Survival training!* It's important for children to have survival skills these days. Drop them off at the edge of the nearest State forest and drive away.
*Science!* Science is always fun - break out your old chemistry set with the sulfur, the potassium permanganate and the alcohol lamps and let Junior discover the wonders of exothermic reactions.
More pet ideas - goldfish. Get some piranha and tell the kids they're an exotic breed of goldfish.
Local county / state fair - fill them up with cotton candy and zeppoles, then put them on every ride without pausing in-between.
Triathlon - secretly enroll them, then enjoy the looks on their faces when you take them to the starting line early one morning.


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## Ginger (Nov 24, 2012)

One time, when my little grandson was over...I said "Hey! we can do anything you want to do, today...?  I can take you to the batting cages or the zoo or....I continued to list a menu of 
fun, exciting options.....?  Then, he just looked at me and said   "would you play jacks with me"?  Then I thought about how busy his parents were all of the time....and how he definetly wasn't getting any personal "one on one".......?   So we sat in the middle of the drive way and played jacks and then we drew hopscotches, with side walk chalk, and "hopped it up"!!  Next we sat in the grass and played cards, while we ate a picnic lunch on the lawn.  All the while, he was getting a ton  empathy and understanding and "self esteem building affirmations" from gramma!


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## SifuPhil (Nov 24, 2012)

Ginger, that was awesome. We tend to forget that it's the simple little things that children cherish and are so often deprived of, usually in favor of throwing some expensive toy or piece of high-tech gadgetry at them and mistaking amount of money spent for love invested. 

Well done!


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## SeaBreeze (Nov 24, 2012)

Wonderful story Ginger, you're such a great gramma!! :love_heart:  I agree that kids nowadays may be missing some of the simpler things in life that are key to shaping their characters, and bringing them real happiness, kudos!


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## Ginger (Nov 24, 2012)

Well, I should be good at something.....I majored in Child Development?   LOLOL!   Kids and pets LOVE ME!!!!    Okey, I'll sit down now!


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## That Guy (Apr 7, 2013)

Unfortunately, I have no grandchildren.  Kids and animals love me, too.  I just like to hangout with them and talk and play.  Let them lead the way . . .


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## TICA (Apr 8, 2013)

Card games are always good.  Concentration will keep them and you busy for a while.  Or even building card houses works


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## That Guy (Apr 8, 2013)

Ginger said:


> Well, I should be good at something.....I majored in Child Development?   LOLOL!   Kids and pets LOVE ME!!!!    Okey, I'll sit down now!



Hilarious, Ginger!  See?  All that hard work in school is paying off . . .


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## R. Zimm (Apr 10, 2013)

We used to take our daughters (and friends often) rock wall climbing. It's entertaining to watch them struggle around on it but keep at it. You can always check the newspaper but don't forget the local library, they frequently have kids programs for free that you can get in on. You might have to register ahead of time though.


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## lilpoppy1 (May 3, 2013)

It is hard keeping up with little grand kids, even coffee does not help. They have so much energy. I like to take them to the pool. We have an indoor and outdoor pool in our community and I find that if I take them for overnight trips, I get a pizza and a good family movie and take them swimming first. They are so tuckered out and hungry, they eat and fall asleep during the movie. It makes me feel satisfied because I got my body moving in the water and I spent quality time with them. Then they fall asleep saying I love you G-MA. That's my name to them. I love it.


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## JustBonee (Jun 20, 2013)

My two youngest granddaughters, ages 3 and 5,  live up the street, and while they are both busy with their school and friends all week.. they come to spend Saturday with 'Grandma'.   They love one on one time, and doing basically all the simple things. It's easy to entertain them. 

We color together, water paint, play in the sandbox I have for them out back, read books, and they love card and board games that are age appropriate.  In cooler weather, we bake cookies..  They get a kick out of looking for any fruit/veggies they can pick in the yard and take home.   Ditto for flowers!  I try to explain that the flowers are better in the ground, than plunked to only die.  They have a hard time with that reasoning!  

The only hard thing this year was when their Grandpa died early in March.  Coming to the house at first was a little awkward for them.  But things are okay again, and I think we've talked it through as much as you can talk to a 5 and 3 year old about such things.  I let them know they are free to ask and say all that's on their mind.  It's worked out.

Love having them over ... but dogs can get a little jealous at times.


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## Anne (Jun 20, 2013)

So sorry to hear about your husband, Boo's Mom.  It sounds like you're handling it well, and are a big help to the little ones getting through it, also.  I'll keep you in my prayers.

my grandchildren live nearby, also, and they visit often.  Good to be able to see them grow and share things with them. The youngest is 10, so a bit harder to find things to do, but she likes to cook & bake, and do crafts.   Sometimes we just sit and chat, and it's interesting how they have opinions on issues I didnt even think about at that age.


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## JustBonee (Jun 20, 2013)

Anne said:


> So sorry to hear about your husband, Boo's Mom.  It sounds like you're handling it well, and are a big help to the little ones getting through it, also.  I'll keep you in my prayers.



Thank you Anne.  Yes, I'm okay.  We were married almost 50 years...high school sweethearts. And although it seems strange to be "going it alone" now at the ripe old age of 69, I can accept it.  I didn't have the 'shock factor' of his death to deal with  as so many do.  He was very sick and in great pain for about two months before he died.  I was prepared.

As for grandkids, God bless them!  They need the comfort and wisdom of their grandparents more then ever in this crazy world we are living in now.  They are growing up faster then we did.... their innocence gone so quickly.


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## Anne (Jun 21, 2013)

Boo's Mom said:


> Thank you Anne.  Yes, I'm okay.  We were married almost 50 years...high school sweethearts. And although it seems strange to be "going it alone" now at the ripe old age of 69, I can accept it.  I didn't have the 'shock factor' of his death to deal with  as so many do.  He was very sick and in great pain for about two months before he died.  I was prepared.
> 
> As for grandkids, God bless them!  They need the comfort and wisdom of their grandparents more then ever in this crazy world we are living in now.  They are growing up faster then we did.... their innocence gone so quickly.



Glad to hear you are getting along, Boo's Mom.....50 years is a very long time; but yes, when a partner is suffering and you can't help them, that is terribly hard to deal with, also.  

I agree on the grandkids - they have a difficult world to grow up in, and it is good they can still interact with us, even though they can't always understand why we think the way we do about things.  Their childhood is so short, and I hope we can comfort them as much they do us, by just being there.


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## GDAD (Jul 12, 2013)

Living in Sydney Australia, We have one of the most picturesque ZOO's in the world.
It is on the foreshores of Sydney Habour, & is a great fun day for young & old.
My grandkids also like to play Monopoly when it's to wet & cold to be outside.


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## JustBonee (Jul 12, 2013)

GDAD said:


> Living in Sydney Australia, We have one of the most picturesque ZOO's in the world.
> It is on the foreshores of Sydney Habour, & is a great fun day for young & old.


GDAD,  would so love to see Sydney and all of your wonderful continent !! .. in my dreams I guess.

My son is the the only family member to visit Australia, and that was mainly to pass through the airport for a connection to the states from Indonesia.   He said Australia is the land of GIANTS, right?  He is 6'4" and felt like a midget amongst  your fellow countrymen.


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## rkunsaw (Jul 12, 2013)

When two of my grandkids were coming for a visit (they live 1800 miles away) I dug through some old coins I had and found a couple of Indian head pennies and some V nickles that weren't in good shape. Then I went to the bank and got some dollar coins, I also bought a mixture of foreign coins to add to the lot. I put them all in a metal box and buried it on our property.

I then wrote clues in various codes I made up, some simple, some a bit harder. Each clue, once deciphered, led to the next clue. They didn't know what was in the buried treasure, but those kids had so much fun figuring out the clues and anticipating what might be in the buried treasure.

And Granddad (me) had as much fun as they did. I highly recommend something of this nature for kids of all ages.


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## Pappy (Jul 12, 2013)

My son has been to Australia twice. His job at NSA requires much traveling all over the world. He was very impressed with Australia and loved New Zealand. Dumb question of the day. Is NZ part of Australia or a separate country.


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## rkunsaw (Jul 14, 2013)

When I was working we had a crew from New Zealand here installing equipment we had bought from them.

We all thought it strange they all wore shorts even in the winter. I'm sure they thought we were strange too.


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## Phantom (Jul 14, 2013)

Pull their ears and say Its ears and ears since I saw you
Then pull their nose and say But I still nose you 

he he he he


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## Mela (Jul 18, 2013)

Pappy,  NZ is a separate country.  Though we have a lot of NZ landers here looking for more job opportunities.  Back onto the thread.  I used to take my grandkids to the local golf driving range - they loved that.  Did all the local scenic attractions - the porpoise pool, the local swimming pool,  the goldmine and so on.  It didn't really matter to them what it was,  as long as it was something different each day.  The beach one day,  a different beach the next to do a spot of fishing,  even though we didn't catch anything.


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## SaraJ60 (Sep 12, 2013)

You can go on nature walks, play by the  pool, color, play some board games, or even cook with them.  My grand kids love helping me cook or bake.


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## That Guy (Sep 12, 2013)

SaraJ60 said:


> You can go on nature walks, play by the  pool, color, play some board games, or even cook with them.  My grand kids love helping me cook or bake.



I love watching Lidia, the Italian cook, with her grandkids on PBS.  It's really sweet.


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## GDAD (Sep 13, 2013)

Boo's Mom said:


> GDAD,  would so love to see Sydney and all of your wonderful continent !! .. in my dreams I guess.
> 
> My son is the the only family member to visit Australia, and that was mainly to pass through the airport for a connection to the states from Indonesia.   He said Australia is the land of GIANTS, right?  He is 6'4" and felt like a midget amongst  your fellow countrymen.



This may wet your appetite to come out here!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvYP9qJrrp8

http://www.youtube.com/channel/HCLn97djZ5js0


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## nan (Sep 13, 2013)

One of my grandson's loves to do Origami,and another likes to look for lizards in the garden.
Metal detecting  on the beach can be fun too.


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## Judi.D (Nov 5, 2013)

Another idea is look into volunteer opportunities in you area. Many of them allow children to help if you contact them ahead. My grand kids help with delivering meals, a local soup kitchen and volunteering at a local store that raises money to help abuse and neglected children in our area. Last Christmas they helped give Christmas gifts, with our local Santa Claus, to children dressed up as elfs. They loved it.


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## drifter (Nov 6, 2013)

Or, if they're like mine you might sent them out to skate on the freeway with a skate board, especially if they're not very good.

No, No, just kidding.


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