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Older adults who live in the same town or city as their grandchildren are fortunate.
Living in close proximity to family provides more opportunities to spend quality time together and build lasting memories.
The benefits of spending time with grandchildren go both ways—it benefits grandchildren as much as grandparents.
Yet, even if you are fortunate to live at home or in a senior living community that is walking or driving distance from your grandchildren, it can in many ways be difficult to spend quality time with them.
After all, there is a big age gap between you and your grandchildren, and the world they are growing up in is not the same as the world you grew up in.
Creating memories with our loved ones, especially the younger generation is more important than ever.
The quality of time spent together is the most important element of your time spent together.
Here are three ways to spend quality time with your grandchildren.
Share Stories
The practice of sharing stories has been around for eons.
Elders have passed down tales to their children and grandchildren long before we were alive, and it’s become one of the most treasured ways to communicate and bond with loved ones.
What started as oral storytelling has now turned to the written word.
If they enjoy reading novels, your grandchildren understand how to commit themselves to a narrative, and they understand that their patience will go rewarded.
If they don’t, they may struggle to focus when they hear oral stories told to them.
If you are a compelling storyteller, however, you may be able to earn their attention.
Tell them stories about your past, tell them stories about people you know, tell them stories about anything they might find interesting.
Listening to your stories might not only be entertaining for them, but it may also be novel and a refreshing break from the rapid pace of their day-to-day world.
Share Hobbies
Those who do things together have fun together, and those who have fun together share something precious.
There are three ways to do a hobby with your grandchildren. You can:
- Have them take up a hobby you already enjoy
- Take up a hobby they already enjoy
- Take up a hobby together
There are plenty of hobbies that you and your grandchildren can do together, among them:
- Sports
- Painting
- Cooking
- Gardening
- Playing music
The trick is to find a hobby that the two of you genuinely enjoy.
Time flies when you are having fun with your grandchildren, and flying time is quality time.
Teach them Something New
Learning a new activity or past time can create a special bonding experience between two people, especially two people from different generations.
You’ve likely learned a thing or two growing up in the world and passing some of these lessons onto your grandchildren can be a great way to not only bond, but to leave them with treasured memories they will carry with them as they grow up.
If you’re an expert in the kitchen, show them how to make your favorite recipe — as an added bonus, write everything down for them to they can teach their kids in the future.
Even something simple as teaching them how to play your favorite card came goes a long way.
After all, it truly is about the Quality Time with Your Grandchildren .
