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Especially as grandkids get older, it can be a challenge to find fun activities for seniors and grandchildren to do together. Luckily, we’ve compiled 20 of them.
Below, read about tons of fun activities seniors and youngsters can enjoy together. You’ll find something for any kind of weather, all types of interests, and every age. That way, you can deepen your special bond.
Teach Them Something You Love
Whether knitting, gardening, cooking, or stamp collecting, share your passions and interests with your grandchildren. Especially if you impart a skill, they’ll associate it with happy memories of you. Plus, kids love to help, so put that can-do attitude to good use.
Go on a Picnic
When the weather is nice, the last thing you want to do is keep children indoors. If you find a park nearby with picnic benches, you’ll have a place to sit while they can run around. Or just host the picnic in your backyard, not far from the comforts of home.
Show and Tell
This one works especially well if you’ll be meeting on FaceTime or Zoom. Plan for everyone to engage in a show-and-tell session. You can decide on a theme ahead of time (something you love, something red, and so on) or leave it open and see what those goofy grands bring.
Painting
Painting is excellent at most ages. When your grandchildren are young, get finger paints or let them cover a canvas with their unique scribbles. When they’re older, they can paint by numbers or more advanced subjects. You can even have fun painting each other!
Movie Night (or Afternoon)
Of all the activities for seniors and grandkids, this one is possibly the easiest. Pop popcorn, get candy and soda, and put on a movie. With so many streaming options, you can watch a new release or let your grandchildren show you their favorite.
Decorating Cookies
Why wait for Christmas? You can find cookie cutouts for virtually anything, so break out the baking supplies and create some tasty cookies. Depending on their attention span, you may want to make the cookies before they arrive.
Let Them Teach You To Play a Board Game
If your grandkids already know how to play a game well, a good activity for seniors is to let them teach you how to play. They’ll be excited to impart knowledge, and you’ll get the enjoyment of seeing them be little leaders.
See a Play or Concert
Don’t worry; you don’t have to spend a fortune on tickets! Look for free performances in public spaces near you during the warmer months, especially parks. Local theatre troupes and schools often have inexpensive or free performances, too.
Strategically Plan a Museum Visit
Museums can be a lot of walking but plan to visit one with many educational programs for kids. That way, you can get off your feet while they learn with their peers and experts.
Read a Book Together
When your grandchildren are little, reading to them is crucial for their development and helps you bond with them. If you see your grandkids often when they get older, start a chapter book and read a section every time they visit.
Have a Spa Day
Get some face masks, nail polish, and Epsom salts to soak your toes, and you have everything you need for a pint-sized spa. This one doesn’t have to be for grandmas and granddaughters alone, either!
Make Breakfast for Dinner
Kids love sweets, so let them have chocolate chip pancakes, waffles, strawberry smoothies, and bacon. Just don’t wait for morning to indulge!
Plan a Surprise for Mom and Dad
Kids are incredibly compassionate and want to show their love with gifts and acts of kindness. Help your grandkids plan something special for their parents.
Volunteer Together
Whether you walk dogs for the animal shelter or help make soup for a food pantry, take your grandchildren along. It’s never too early for them to learn the importance of giving back and caring for others.
Teach Them About Your Favorite Sport
Many professional sports have complex rules. You’ll never learn if someone doesn’t sit down and explain them to you. Be that person for your grandchildren! Best of all, you have an ideal excuse to watch the game.
Plan a Scavenger Hunt
This one takes effort ahead of time, but if you get everything set up, you can watch your grandchildren have fun for hours. You can also find ideas online or even order scavenger hunt kits ahead of time.
Blow Bubbles
Sometimes, it’s the little things! Blowing bubbles is super simple, but something about it makes everyone happy. Toddlers love to chase them, and older kids love to make them. It’s a good activity for a mixed group of ages, too.
Build Legos or Do a Craft Kit
Working together on a project can be easier when you have clear instructions. Legos or a similar style kit that comes with step-by-step instructions is an excellent indoor, seated activity for seniors and grandchildren to do together.
Interview Each Other
Ready to laugh? Tell your grandkids to pretend they’re writing a story about you for the local newspaper, and they have to interview you. Then, do the same back to them. You’ll all have some giggles over some of the answers.
Of all the activities for seniors and grandchildren to do together, this one is the most special. After all, you’re the harbinger of beautiful memories and hilarious stories that should be passed on to the next generation. Plus, kids love to hear funny stories about their parents!
Enjoy Precious Time With Your Grandkids
Becoming a grandparent is an entirely new, life-altering experience. How you relate to your grandchildren is unlike how you love anyone else.
That’s why it’s so crucial that you bridge the big generational gap and find fun activities for seniors and their grandkids to enjoy together. Start with this list and make wonderful memories.
