Keeping the grandkids happy and occupied can sometimes tax even the most creative mind. Here are a number of activities you might like to think about. They're easy to do and cheap to fund and should keep them happy for hours. If you have any ideas we can pass on to other grandparents use our CONTACT US form to share it with us and we'll share it with our readers. |
play a human board game
First you'll need a giant dice; somehow, it's much more fun playing this game with a giant dice than a normal sized one. Find a square box and paste a sheet of white paper to each of the six sides. Then get the children to put the numbers on each side. Give them real dice to copy. Now set up a human board game by taping numbers to different items of furniture, walls, doors etc. It's more fun if you continue the trail through a couple of adjacent rooms so lay the game out so that there a distance to walk between each number. On some numbers, attach a bonus or penalty such as "Move ahead two", "Go back 1" or perhaps get the players to do something silly such as "Recite a poem". You can mix and match these instructions as you think fit but children love the unexpected so a balance of one third instruction numbers to two thirds plain numbers usually works well. There needs to be free spaces so that players will come to a stop quickly. Each player rolls the dice and moves ahead that many numbers. (This also helps them with their arithmetic.) When they come to their next number and find an instruction they have to obey it. Play finishes when one player has come to the END.
family photo story
Get out the old family photos and ask the children to pick 10 photos and make a story up about them. They can write the story down if they wish and read it or just dream it up and tell it live while holding up the relevant photo. Encourage them to use their imagination to make the story as interesting as possible.
make an artwork collage
Pull out pictures from old magazines or greeting cards and get the children to paste them together to make an interesting artwork. You can use anything you like as content... old greeting cards, wrapping paper, wall paper, old brochures, newspapers, photos... anything with an image or pattern can add to their creative fuel. When they've finished you could cut a frame from a manila folder or cardboard, tape the picture to the back and hang it on the wall to admire.
"finding dory" paperplate art
You'll need:
2 Paper plates
Craft paints: bright blue, light blue, yellow, and black
Large plastic giggly eyes
Foam paint brush
Small paint brush
Tape or glue
Scissors
Directions
1. Cut one large triangle about 5-6″ wide, one 3″, and one 2″.
2. Paint your plate and triangles bright blue with your foam paint brush and let dry
3. Paint large yellow stripes on each triangle like pictured
4. Paint black stripes on two on your triangles like pictured
5. Now paint the design pictured on the front of Dory
6. Tape or glue the large triangle on the top, medium sized on the back, and the small triangle on the bottom for the fins
7. Glue the googly eye underneath your blue strip
8. Display Dory and make Nemo next!
2 Paper plates
Craft paints: bright blue, light blue, yellow, and black
Large plastic giggly eyes
Foam paint brush
Small paint brush
Tape or glue
Scissors
Directions
1. Cut one large triangle about 5-6″ wide, one 3″, and one 2″.
2. Paint your plate and triangles bright blue with your foam paint brush and let dry
3. Paint large yellow stripes on each triangle like pictured
4. Paint black stripes on two on your triangles like pictured
5. Now paint the design pictured on the front of Dory
6. Tape or glue the large triangle on the top, medium sized on the back, and the small triangle on the bottom for the fins
7. Glue the googly eye underneath your blue strip
8. Display Dory and make Nemo next!