In the walk of our life, we always value the wisdom and knowledge we get from our elders. We keep growing but the time spends with our elderly family members always stays with us as our precious memories. Among our various encounters in life, the beautiful bonding we share with our grandparents is something irreplaceable.
Their love is unconditional. So often we wonder if it hadn’t been their love, we would have missed something pure.
However, the advent of the internet and fast-paced life is gradually taking over our need to connect frequently and at deeper levels with our family members.
Our kids are busy with their assignments and activities. So, it is very difficult for them to make time for their grandparents. Like other relationships, lack of an effort can gradually hamper the bond between them.
As an adult, you always seek the best for your family. Here are some simple methods that can help foster a strong relationship between the children and their grandparents.
1. Encourage Them to Stay in Touch with Each Other
Whether the grandparents live down the lane or across the globe, keeping in touch with them is the first step to build a strong rapport with them. Plan a weekly dinner or designate a day for a video call. It is ideal for kids as well as grandparents to vacate a slot for each other in their weekly calendar.
When it comes to building a relationship, communication plays an important role. Motivate your children to talk to their grandparents about their weekly highlights. Staying updated on each other’s life happening will give them plenty of opportunities to pick up conversations and hence build a stronger bond.
2. Extend an Invitation to their Extracurricular Activities
Grandparents love to see their children grow and are enthusiastic about their skills and achievement. Ask your children to invite their grandparents to their sports tournaments and musicals and encourage your parents to attend them.
It could be a great change in their routine lives and post events they can accompany your kids to an outing. Children feel a great sense of pride having their family members involved in their hobbies and who could be their best cheerleaders apart from their grans.
3. Encourage Your Kids to Participate in their Chores
With age, your parents might need some assistance with their weekly trip to the supermarket. Having their grandkids around can ease some pressure for them. For your kids, it is a good opportunity to learn responsibility. If your parents suffer from any mobility issue a 4 wheel mobility scooter can be a great aid to take them places.
Encourage your children to accompany their grandparents in running their errands leaving enough scope for them to be each other’s support system.
4. Plan a Holiday Together
The multigenerational family trip was among the top traveling trends and it is here to stay. Children would love the company of their grandparents and during a leisurely weekend, they will have enough opportunity to be with others. There are plenty of family holiday destinations that offer multiple group activities and excursions.
Even if you don’t plan anything fancy, simple outdoor activities like fishing or walking in the woods will get them involved with each other. Children often like to share rooms with their grandfather or grandmother, asking them if they would like to share accommodation. It can be a fantastic opportunity to get to know each other intimately.
5. Encourage Them to Learn with Each Other.
Grandparents can be busy with their commitments and it is sometimes difficult for them to make time for their hobbies. There are plenty of activities they might be mastering at, from gardening to cooking, they usually have all the secrets and age-old wisdom.
While your kids can be tech-savvy and there is plenty of cool stuff they might be interested in teaching their grans. You can build a bridge between them by encouraging them to share their knowledge. Learning is an enjoyable experience and among family members, it gets all the more fun and interesting.
The Bottom Line
Family networks have changed over the years. While there has been plenty of emphasis on parent-child bonding, we miss out on an important part of their developmental association with their grandparents.
Reversibly, playing with grandchildren can be a great stress buster for our parents. Although technology is keeping us busy, it also helps us in connecting with our loved ones easily. Occasionally meeting them and frequent calls can be a simple little way of staying in touch with them. Letting your child know the importance of their relationship by relating it to your life stories can be a great way to get them interested.
