Not sure how to bond with your grandkids? Here's 5 tips

One of the first reminders that you are growing older is the realisation that your child is now a parent.

It’s a beautiful thing, but relating to the grandchildren can be challenging. The confusion usually occurs among modern grandparents who didn’t spend a lot of time with their own grandparents.

Even if you spent time with your grandparents, you may still be unsure because the grandkids may not be interested in fables you shared with your grandparents.

Bonding with the modern youngsters requires patience, tenderness, and creativity.

One of the first reminders that you are growing older is the realisation that your child is now a parent. It’s a beautiful thing, but relating to the grandchildren can be challenging.

The confusion usually occurs among modern grandparents that didn’t spend a lot of time with their grandparents.

Even if you spent time with your grandparents, you may still be unsure because the grandkids may not be interested in fables you shared with your grandparents.

Bonding with the modern youngsters requires patience, tenderness, and creativity. Here are some ideas to get you going:

Visit local game parks and reserves

Animals are always fascinating to children. This is a good chance for the grandparent and grandchildren to get some fresh air, see animals of all shapes and sizes, as well as talk about their natural habitat.

This is a great opportunity to teach your grandchildren about the animals you see, including their names and where they live in the wild. If interactive displays are allowed, let them get up close and personal with some of these animals.

If there are no animal parks or zoos near you, look for a fascinating tourist attraction site that's children would enjoy. A museum, waterfalls, an escarpment, or other natural and man-made geographical features would be enjoyable.

Teach them how to cook a meal from scratch

Cooking with grandchildren is a terrific way to spend quality time together, share your cooking skills. At this age they may not be ready for tasks such as chopping vegetables or rolling dough.

But there are plenty of jobs young kids can do: gathering ingredients, pouring liquids, stirring pots etc. If you have a garden, let them join you in picking the farm produce to be used, and if not, let them join you to the grocery store.

And you don't have to cook something you are familiar with. Search the internet or a cookbook together with the grandkids and choose a fascinating new recipe that you can prepare with locally available items.

Play games with them at home

Playing games with the grandkids at home is a great way to spend time together.

Consider playing board or card games, make your own versions of popular games especially card games, create paper airplane contests, and other fun activities that you can do indoors on rainy days.

Sports such as soccer are always popular for kids this age. You may not be able to keep up with them, but you can join in and be their cheerleader.

You can also coach one side while your partner or another adult coaches the other team. 

Give them an allowance and teach about money management

Teaching your grandchildren about money management is a valuable life lesson, even if they're too young to have their own bank account.

You can let them contribute to the family household chores by assigning an agreed-upon weekly allowance for each chore completed or work with you on a project such as painting and help out financially.

If you want to get more creative, try assigning a task such as collecting and counting the change from their piggy bank each week.

Children as young as three can understand the idea of using money to pay for items and services. But they don't understand more complex concepts such as calculating change. Ease them into it by playing shop and other transaction games.

Read them stories before bedtime

This is a great way to unwind and bond with the grandkids. You can read from your favourite childhood book or tell them a story you made up on the spot or one you remember from your childhood.

Make it more entertaining by using funny voices for different characters such as animals, people, objects etc.

This may be most appropriate for young kids, not so much with the teenagers and pre-teens. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Their parents' rules are supreme

It may be a hard pill to swallow, but you are not your grandchildren's primary authority. You should not let them engage in activities that you know their parents have prohibited.

Or interfere with habits and patterns that their parents have set. Yes, you want to have fun, but you can achieve that without breaking rules. If they want partners in crime, they have their peers for that.

Many grandparents also have the tendency to impose their 'perfect' parenting style on their grandkids. Do not be one of them. You were not a perfect parent as you try to convince yourself. Let the parents try their style too.

Always remember it's about them, not you

You may get the biggest satisfaction from hunting or fishing, but don't insist on it if the grandkids don't like it. Instead, look for alternatives that they would enjoy and acclimatise yourself with it.

Also, if you have many grandkids, there will always be some disagreements on what they enjoy. Take note of what each of them likes and meet them halfway rather than forcing them.

If they want to engage in unreasonable, dangerous, or prohibited activities, it's time to be the adult.