Fun Things To Do With Grandparents At Home

Certified Senior Advisor®
Senior Home Safety Specialist®
20 years of medical equipment experience
Compassionately helping seniors and their caregivers solve challenges of aging
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Every grandparent has times when they struggle with entertaining their grandkids without resorting to TV's and tablets. And, sometimes you just don't feel like going anywhere either. Show this list of fun things to do with grandparents at home to your grandkids and let them choose an activity. Their pick just might surprise you.

grandkids doing fun activities with grandparents
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Every grandparent wants to make wonderful memories with their grandkids. It can be fun to spoil your grandkids and build a positive relationship with them.

If your grandkids are coming over, you don’t necessarily have to take them out. You’ll be able to have a wonderful time without ever leaving your home. These are just a few of the great at-home activities you can try with your grandkids the next time they come to visit.

And, chances are, you already have the supplies you need on hand!

Read A Great Book

Even if your grandkids are old enough to read on their own, they might appreciate reading a book with you. Try a chapter book that’s full of twists and turns. Your grandkids will beg for one more chapter after a cliffhanger ending! This is also a great activity to try if you’re keeping your grandkids overnight.

Card Games

A deck of playing cards doesn’t take up much space, and it can provide hours of fun! There are all kinds of card games grandparents can play with children, from simple games like Go Fish to more complex games like Euchre. Even if your grandchildren don’t know how to play these card games, they’ll be happy to learn from you.

Look At Old Family Photos

Children often love seeing what their parents, aunts, and uncles looked like when they were young. If you have old photo albums, sit down and share these albums with your grandkids. This can be a wonderful way to share important pieces of family history!

grandparents playing game with teenage granddaughter

Try A Jigsaw Puzzle

It can be hard for young kids to put together a jigsaw puzzle on their own. Thankfully, their loving grandparents can help them to finish any puzzle, even if it’s complex. There are so many amazing jigsaw puzzles for seniors and kids to choose from, which means you should be able to find some puzzles your grandkids will love!

Plan A Movie Night

Instead of taking your grandkids out to the movies, why not bring the theater experience into your home? Make a big bowl of popcorn and put on a family-friendly movie that both you and your grandkids will love!

Help Your Grandkids Make Presents For Their Parents

If your younger grandkids are missing their mom and dad, why not have them make a special gift for their parents? You could get out some art supplies and help your grandchildren to decorate blank cards. When their parents come to pick them up, they’ll be proud to present them with the card.

Let Them Help You To Cook

Even if your grandkids are fairly young, you can start teaching them some basic cooking skills. It can actually be helpful to teach children these kinds of skills when they’re still young. You can even pass along classic family recipes!

grandmother and granddaughter gardening together

Work In The Garden

If the weather is beautiful, your grandkids may not want to stay cooped up inside. Why not try planting a small garden together? Every time your grandkids come over, you’ll be able to show them how well their plants have been growing.

Try Karaoke

Grandkids love to see their grandparents acting silly. If you try karaoke with your grandkids, you’ll be able to sing your heart out. Your grandchildren will also be able to show off for you when they sing their favorite songs.

Play 20 Questions

20 questions is a fun game to play in the car, but it can also be a wonderful game to play at home. Encourage your grandkids to ask you all kinds of questions so that they can guess what you’re thinking of.

Give Mad Libs A Try

Kids love silly humor, which is why playing Mad Libs with your grandkids can be such a blast. A book that’s full of Mad Libs shouldn’t be very expensive, and it’ll help you and your grandkids to have a fantastic time.

Put Together A Scrapbook

Are you a fan of scrapbooking? If you are, you might want to get out some of your old supplies and encourage your grandkids to make a scrapbook of their own. Even if you just ask them to decorate a blank piece of paper, they’ll be able to have a wonderful time.

Create Pictures Of Each Other

Get out paints, crayons, or other types of art supplies and ask your grandkids to draw a picture of you. You can return the favor and create a picture of them. You’ll have a lot of fun showing your pictures to each other after they’re finished.

grandparents taking photo with grandkids

Have A Photo Session

Thanks to smartphones, it’s easier than ever to snap pictures of your grandkids. Get out some props and costumes and encourage your grandkids to pose for silly photos. You might also want to dress up and let your grandchildren take a few pictures of you.

Decorate T-Shirts

Buy blank t-shirts and some fabric paint or fabric markers. When your grandkids come over, you can encourage them to decorate the blank t-shirts in any way that they like. You can even ask your grandchildren to design a shirt for you!

Build A Fort

Get out your biggest pillows and blankets and help your grandkids build a fort in your living room. Once the fort is built, climb inside and have some fun! You can even have a tea party inside the fort that you’ve made.

Create A Story

Instead, of reading your grandkids a story from a book, you could try telling them a few sentences of a story. From there, you can ask them to tell you what happens next. You can pick up where they left off. Together, you’ll be able to create a story that will leave both of you in stitches!

grandmother doing activities with grandkids inside house in winter

Make Jewelry

Are your grandkids always interested in the jewelry that you’re wearing? If you pick up the right supplies from a local craft store, you can help your grandchildren make necklaces or bracelets. Just be careful if your grandkids are very young; they might try to put beads in their mouth!

Blow Bubbles

Blowing bubbles is simple, but it can keep young kids occupied for hours or more. While you can buy bubbles from a local shop, it’s also possible to make your own bubbles by mixing dishwashing soap with some water.

Get Out Your Marbles

Did you use to play marbles when you were young? If you still have some of your old marbles, this is something that you can teach your grandkids! Your grandchildren will have a lot of fun looking at your marbles, and they’ll have even more fun learning a new skill from you.

Play A Board Game

Board games have been keeping families entertained for generations, and they’re still a wonderful way to have fun with your grandkids. Just make sure you pick the right board game. A game like Monopoly can take hours or more to complete! If you have a collection of board games, you may want to let your grandkids pick the game that you play.

ALSO READ: Games to Play With Teenage Grandkids

grandson helping his grandmother with a computer

Let Your Grandkids Teach You How To Do Something

You have a lot to teach your grandchildren, but it’s likely that there are also plenty of things that your grandkids can teach you! Ask your grandkids to tell you about some of their favorite hobbies. If they mention something you’re not familiar with, like making slime, you’ll want to ask them to tell you more.

You could even let them teach you a few new tricks on your smartphone or more about technology in general.

Your grandkids will never have to be bored when they’re visiting grandpa and grandma! These activities will be a lot of fun for your grandchildren, and it’s likely that you’ll have fun with them as well. With activities like this, your grandchildren will want to visit you at home a lot more often.

What other ideas do you have for fun things to do with grandparents at home? Please share in the comments below!

Certified Senior Advisor (CSA)®
Senior Home Safety Specialist (SHSS)®
Assistive Technology Professional

Scott Grant has spent more than 20 years serving seniors and the elderly in the home medical equipment industry. He has worked as a manufacturer's rep for the top medical equipment companies and a custom wheelchair specialist at a durable medical equipment (DME) provider in WV. He is father to 4 beautiful daughters and has three terrific grandkids. When not promoting better living for older adults, he enjoys outdoor activities including hiking and kayaking and early morning runs.

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1 thought on “Fun Things To Do With Grandparents At Home”

  1. Some great ideas…Thanks ?

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