Today’s world is fast-paced and constantly changing to be better than ever before. Children nowadays have been raised to adapt to the changes, but the older generation is falling behind at a faster rate than even their parents did. It’s a sad tale when aging grandparents feel distanced from the grandchildren. But, with children living with ever-evolving technology, it often seems impossible that they will find common ground with members of the older generations and even their grandparents.
Even harder still is the situation where a grandparent can’t navigate outside (and sometimes even inside) their home, so they feel the intergenerational gap widen even farther. The good news is there are plenty of steps grandparents can take to put themselves on a more equal footing with the kids. Consider EasyClimber stair lifts and elevators to help get around the home. Bonding time is for everyone and there are so many bonding experiences that can happen right at home, no travel required!
Technology = learning and fun
So how can grandparents maintain a relationship and keep younger grandchildren engaged? Today’s children aged twelve and under have never known a time without visually stimulating technology. They have always had television, internet, tablets, and computers. Their schools even use these technologies to teach them. Grandparents can use this to their advantage.
Pulling out weathered photos of years ago and trying to get an elementary child to carefully hold the edges while listening to grandpa tell stories of his time in school is a recipe for a bored child. Instead, try scanning photographs onto a laptop, tablet, or other PC. As silly as it may seem, children are already enthralled by screens and that small change can be enough to keep a child’s interest. Better still, grandparents can use the internet to turn the moment into a learning experience. Use the internet to find photos of the same year from various locations and use that access to continue jumping through history via Google. Simple, entertaining, and educational!
This is merely a narrow branch of a much larger tree, with plenty of branches of entertainment. But what are some other ways grandparents can utilize their personal experiences and create bonding experiences?
Playtime is bonding time!
Children love to play. If old-fashioned bonding is the goal, games and silly fun are always special, simple ways to form a connection that can bridge the generational gap.
Some things to try:
•Board games (you can’t go wrong with the classics, like Sorry!)
•Video or computer games
•Baking and passing down those special family recipes
•Creative play like crafts, coloring, building, and puzzles
Kids of years ago aren’t so different from today’s youth. After all, children always have and always will want to play and be entertained. The key difference is the ways kids played then versus now. These playtime activities are great ways to keep everyone entertain and are also perfect opportunities to make special keepsake gifts for grandparents!
Listening skills are bonding skills
Bridging the gap with older children comes with its own challenges. When children reach teenage years, grandparent and grandchild relationships can be strained as kids neglect this relationship for time spent with peers or in other activities. Often times, it’s the children who need to put the effort in to maintain this important relationship.
Teenaged grandchildren are old enough to converse like adults. Sometimes, all a grandparent wants is to be able to relive their youth and tell their stories. This is an excellent opportunity for older children to learn compassion and (though they’ll never admit it) enjoy hearing first-hand accounts of a time they didn’t get to experience. Plenty of today’s adults remember holidays at their grandparents, listening to their older relatives talk and reminisce together. Though its nothing new, it’s always good to teach kids of any age to be unselfish and good listeners.
Teens make excellent teachers
Though older generations are often labeled as stubborn, set in their ways, and resentful of changing technology, many grandparents would love the opportunity to learn more about the newest gadgets from a patient teacher, like their grandchild. Kids love to show off their toys, even if that toy is a smartphone, so let older children show off their latest phone, tablet, drone, or gaming console. This is a great example of a way older kids can bond while boosting their own confidence and practicing patience.
And it doesn’t stop there. Kids today learn so much more in school than decades past and so much of the television they watch is geared towards educational entertainment. In time, they’ll see they have a wealth of knowledge to exchange with their grandparents. With this much to share, the generational gap doesn’t stand a chance!