A Beginners Guide to Grandparenting: Summer Fun

Just a brief time ago, the temperature in my neighborhood was chilly, snowy, and a little bit frosty. My gloves were never too far from the front door, and those 3-inch heels were safely put away in the closet until the snow was just a fleeting memory.  The weather is teasing us that winter will soon be gone as the sun starts to warm the earth. The days are starting to get longer, and our minds travel to the sweet days of summer.

What makes summer unique to you? What activities did you do? Does it bring back memories of picnics, sidewalk chalk murals, summer camp, or the smell of suntan lotion and days at the pool? Do you think you can re-create that again? Should you? 

Having lived through 6 decades of summers, each with one overarching memory of no school, little responsibility, bike parades, and roaming the neighborhood to meet friends or hang out, if we got home just before the sun went down. Little had changed from my early youth through my teenage years. It was just plain fun!

The world has changed significantly over those six decades.  This blog isn’t about it being better back "in the day." It is about how we give our grandkids great memories, experiences, and an opportunity to grow a little, all while giving their parents peace of mind that the safety of our grandbaby will still be our number one concern.

First off, I want to share that fun is not a four-letter word. As grandparents we can take our memories of enjoyment from our childhood and incorporate those memories into today’s world. So, think back. What is the top 10 summer fun that you want to share?

Limiting it to only my top 5 fun summer activities was a challenging task, but here is my list:

1 - Family Picnic - Picnics don't have to be elaborate. You can have as much fun in your backyard as you can in a park with a gazebo. Food and games are the only necessary ingredients. For food, choose items that don't require much preparation and can be eaten with fingers or buns. My “go-to” is hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken kebabs, or roasted vegetables. Sides like watermelon, carrot sticks, and chips are easy to bring, and of course, the coleslaw, potato salad, and baked beans are also an all-time picnic favorite. Drinks don't have to be soda; how about iced tea, lemonade, or orange creamsicle smoothies. Of course, don’t forget s’mores and all the fixings.

Here is a fun food activity to do with your grandkids:

·      Creating a Signature Drink With your Grandkids – remember, kids, love to experiment. Get a collection of different fruits, juices, ice cream, and flavored seltzers. Perhaps a little competition. Have the parents vote. Let the kids go wild and once they produce the perfect drink, be sure to have them write down their recipe and even give their drink a unique name.

Some fun activities with little advanced work would be:

Summer Fun!

Water games are always a hit, significantly the higher the temperatures rise: Water Balloon toss, water balloon dodgeball, water balloon piñatas or pass the water, to name a few.

Non-water games might include tug-of-war, red light/green light, or even musical chairs. A quick Google search will give you instructions on how to play just in case you forgot.

2 – Cloud gazing – Look up! No equipment needed! With bright blue skies, and white clouds peppering the sky, there is never a better chance to grab a blanket (or not), lay on the grass, and look up. What do you see?  Check out the cloud shapes, and before you know it, your imagination will take over.  You will see elephants, unicorns, or something more. Share.

3 – Have a Yes day - A Yes Day sounds precisely like what it is—it's a day where your answer to your grandkids will always be, “yes.”  Ice cream for breakfast? Yes. Wearing pajamas all day? Yep. Movie marathon? No problem. 

With a few simple ground rules and a little prep, this day will become one that everyone will love. Some ground rules to think about providing: Remind them that a Yes Day is one day, and the requests cannot be something that causes harm to themselves or anyone else. The activities need to be outside (if the weather is nice) and finally, set a budget you’re comfortable with, and it will take away some of the anxiety about what they can choose.

If this is too drastic for you, you can make it a "Yes, morning" or "Yes, afternoon, or create a bowl filled with ideas that can be fun or different to do, and everyone gets a chance to pick one out of the bowl and everyone will do it together. Use your imagination. Maybe make fairy wings and go to the grocery store to pick up ice cream wearing them?

4 - Run through the sprinkler. Don't have one? You can make your own by decorating a two-liter plastic bottle with Sharpie designs, poke holes in it, and attach it to your hose. Check out how Dean McDermott did his.

5 – Shared Tales. With limitless imagination and endless enthusiasm, there is no better author than a small child. Put their natural storytelling skills to paper and create a shared tale. All you need is a pen and a piece of paper. Each person will write one sentence in sequence.  Start the creative session with a sentence like "Once upon a time there was a" and unleash their imagination. Pass the paper around and have every family member write one sentence; if your grandkids aren't writing yet, have them tell you, and you can be the scribe. You can designate several sentences per person to keep it honestly with multiples. This one is great in a group and at family gatherings because it becomes even funnier if you don't see every sentence as it builds.

Don’t forget to ask your grandkids for ideas; get them involved. They probably have an opinion or two. Remember, it's easy to keep your grandkids occupied with gadgets, but these activities provide an opportunity to shut down the devices and spend memorable time together. 

So, what memories are you going to make?