6 Ways Grandparents Can Teach Their Grandchildren

 
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We need to connect the past with the current and the future. As grandparents and others who are raising their grandchildren, here’s a memo: our old world ways are not too far gone that we cannot connect with our children.

Below are a few ideas that if incorporated into the minds of our young people, it can provide the needed concepts referred to as “tried and tested.” And by adding these tried and true concepts, we will undoubtedly experience the great renaissance that is particularly vital for those in need of guidance. Leave a comment below to share your thoughts!

1. Teach Your Grandchildren to Love Reading

  • Reading to young children improves their cognitive and language skills and improves their reading comprehension.

  • Use this special time to teach words, colors, letters and objects and tell stories about the pictures.

  • Grandparents can take the kids to the library for story time or help them choose their own

    books something that busy working parents might not have time to do.

  • Help to create a great study environment – create a distraction free zone, emphasize organization, establish quiet hours, keep healthy snack on hand.

2. Teach Your Grandchildren a Skill

  • Do you knit, crochet, garden, bird watch, do woodworking? Grandchildren will love doing these activities with you as you share something you love with them.

  • If you are good at crafts, you might enjoy holding a craft day for your grandchildren.

  • Grandfathers can share their knowledge of woodworking, mechanics and sports by teaching the basics to their grandsons and granddaughters.

3. Teaching Your Grandchildren about Family Traditions

  • Passing down recipes

  • Having family dinners

  • How to celebrate holidays


4. Teach Kids about Family

  • Grandparents are a treasure store of family history.

  • Grandchildren will love to hear stories about their parents as young children or about

    their grandparent’s lives in the “olden days”

  • Even very young children enjoy looking at old family photo albums, and this is a great

    time to tell them some family history.

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5. Teach Your Grandchildren Good Manners

  • While parents are the first ones to teach children manners, grandparents can reinforce

    the basics, and share some of the finer points of etiquette with their grandchildren

    through fun activities.

  • Grandparents can help kids write thank you notes, teach them to share, teach them that

    it’s good manners to put the cell phone away when at the dinner table.

  • When grandchildren spend the night at grandma’s house, it’s a good opportunity to teach them how to be a good houseguest, respect other people’s property and clean up after themselves.

6. Teach Your Grandchildren Good Values

  • They can help teach their grandchildren respect for each other and for other people by listening and responding to them respectfully.

  • They can teach their grandchildren to tell the truth and to act honorably, to be kind to other people and to animals.

  • By their words and actions, grandparents teach their grandchildren tolerance and empathy for people who are different from themselves.

Add’l reference:

Five Important things grandparents can teach their grandchildren, Stephanie Henkel, wehavekids.com; September 21, 2016

 
Asha Jonesresources, GrandchildrenComment