Posts Tagged ‘grandchildren’

Children visiting their grandparents in assisted living can be a challenge. While you want to make sure the grandparents have a chance to play an active role in the lives of their grandchildren, kids (especially small kids) are easily bored and are not always able to understand why grandma and grandpa can’t participate in certain activities. In order to avoid this pitfall, we’ve come up with a list of fun activities that can be enjoyed by everyone.

Arts and Crafts

Who doesn’t love arts and crafts? It’s a chance for everyone to express themselves creatively. You can draw pictures, make masks, make ornaments, make a bird house out of popsicle sticks and then paint it. This is not only fun, but the end results will show off everyone’s individual personality. They can make great conversation starters by giving you an opportunity to ask each person why they made the creative choices they did.

When the holidays come around, you can buy a gingerbread house kit that everyone can assemble and decorate together.

Games

Games are a great way to bring families together, and there are so many different kinds that it’s easy to find something everyone can manage. If the grandparents enjoy card games, many of those are easy to teach to kids. You can even have the grandparents teach the kids older card games that they might not be familiar with, such as Bridge or Go Fish.

Board games like Chutes and Ladders and Scrabble are also great for family members of all ages. Who knows? The kids might even learn something while having fun (it’s OK, we won’t tell them).

Go for A Walk

Walks are great for everyone and they’re an especially good idea when the little ones start getting restless. Discourage the kids from running ahead by asking them to spot certain plants and animals. You can use a book or just your smartphone to identify the kinds of birds, trees, and flowers you spot on your walk. Make it into a game by seeing who can name more than anyone else.

Bake Something

Who doesn’t love cookies? Kids love learning how to make their favorite foods from scratch, and you can include the grandparents by asking them to show everyone how to make one of their signature recipes. For some extra points, you can decorate the cookies afterwards.

Cakes and cupcakes are also a lot of fun to decorate together. You can either bring a pre-made cake or cupcakes without frosting, or you can choose a simple recipe that’s easy for the kids to follow as active participants in the process, then decorate afterwards.

We even have a full kitchen in our fireside lounge where you can do this together!

What Does Your Family Like to Do?

Every family has their own traditions, so think about some of the things your family has always done together. They’re usually things that people of all ages can enjoy together, so you can help keep the tradition alive by introducing it to the new generation, while including the past generation.

Here at Stillwater Senior Living, we treat our residents like family. Our apartments include studio, one bedroom, and two bedroom suites. They are designed with security features, maximum accessibility, and include walk-out patois with a full range of amenities for the entire family.

CONTACT US today for more information and a tour of our beautiful state-of-the-art community.