It is always a treat when my grandchildren come to the house! Whether it’s for a few hours or a few days, Neal and I cherish each moment we get to spend with them. One of the first things we do when the kids get to the house is put away all of the electronics. IPads are stashed and the television is turned off. This is a welcome break for all of us and allows us to focus on each other and be free from distractions.
There are many things we love to do, but the most important thing is that we are doing them together. I always insist on doing projects that are creative and require doing things with our hands. With all of the technology that surrounds us today, kids are used to things happening instantly. We aim to turn each activity into a teachable moment that shows them the importance (and fun!) of spending time on a project and being creative.
One of our favorite things to do together is make paper airplanes. It is truly amazing how much fun can be had with a simple piece of white paper. If I find a piece of paper that I think could have another life as a paper airplane, I’m sure to save it for the next time the kids come over. With a pile of paper before us, Neal and I demonstrate how we learned to make airplanes as children. Once everyone’s planes are ready for takeoff, we line up and let them fly! We have so much fun doing this over and over again! Hays and Amelia love to brainstorm new designs and create the smallest, most unique, or fastest planes possible. I have lost count of the hours we have spent crafting and flying the perfect planes!
Activities like paper airplanes are perfect to do with kids because they allow their creativity to shine. They don’t even realize it, but they are learning discipline with each airplane they fold. Planning, drawing, decorating, and doing anything creative is certainly fun but always requires patience and a process. Who knew that paper airplanes would be such an easy and fun way to learn?
What is your favorite kids activity?
Comments 6
Thanks for reminding us that simplicity is fun and memorable. I remember doing the same thing when I was young. Being together and enjoying each other is the best way to create lasting treasures.
Phyllis,
From your pictures, we can just tell that your grandchildren are a special blessing. The picture that shows your granddaughter’s hands shows that they are very nicely shaped with fingers that look like they were made to play the piano. She may follow in her grandmother’s footsteps, if she hasn’t already, by playing the piano. Your grandson may be blessed musically as well. I have enjoyed your Christmas cd and get it out every Christmas to play during the holidays…so lovely.
As a retired school teacher, I say ‘yes, yes & amen’ to your comments about learning. When our young ones come to visit, we, also, see that the activities revolve around hands-on and/or outside activities on the ranch that use imagination and problem-solving skills…that are FUN, too! Tech ‘stuff’ is put away…sometimes with some grumbling from the older ones…at first…then they join in and forget all about it for awhile. It’s the rule…and their parents know all about it because it’s the same one they had when they came to visit and we made sure that they understood the rule hadn’t changed as their young ones came along. They have always supported it and in fact want us to enforce this rule. The parents, also, want us to “work ’em” just like we did them. Everyone is to do their part and that part is just as important as everyone else’s so that is why they must be responsible to “get ‘er done”. We’ve been told by them to “line them out”. We’ve told them that we’ll do our part but it doesn’t take the place of their part. :o)
Creating in the kitchen seems to bring an emotional tie to memories as well. Eating food that you helped prepare seems to taste so good especially when you’re “starving” after a day of fun and work on the ranch.
Music, is also a wonderful memory-making activity. When my siblings and I were growing up, some of our family and neighbors would come over on Friday nights. The grown ups would play music…mostly gospel with a few old songs thrown in like “Home on the Range”… while we kids would play games outside in the dark with just the light from a window to show us where the can was for the game “Kick the Can” or other games such as “Hide and go Seek”. It was so much fun playing with our cousins and friends out in the dark as the sound of music drifted out the windows. There was no fear just pure joy! We love to pull those memories out from time to time when we get together.
When our great-niece, Lauren, was ‘little bitty’, she would say “God Music” just as soon as I picked her up to come spend time on the ranch with us. So, as usual, I would put in a cassette or cd of gospel music to listen to as we traveled to the ranch. All of our great nieces and nephews want to go to sleep with “God Music” playing quietly after they each one have shared what they are grateful for that day and after our night-night prayers…even those who are now teenagers still want to do this when they come. How blessed we are to have such memories…especially the ones of these children that are so dear to us.
Thank you for your “sharings”.
God Bless you and yours!
I love this! I never thought of this, I do crafts with paper, glue, glitter etc. all the time with our grandchildren, but this is something I’m doing the very next time they come over. A race! Thank you!
My two grandchildren and I hunted four-leaf clovers. I literally have paperback books with a clover dried between each page. We have found thousands. My sisters and I did that when we were little and as we grew. We also caught lightning bugs and placed them in Mason jars with holes punched in the lids then let them go the next morning. I do believe the most fun was when we found a simple pattern for paper helicopters. We made a bunch and went outside wondering if they would fly. We were on the deck which is about 15 feet off the ground and we let them go. The breeze caught them and a couple of them flew many hundred feet out over the Tennessee River before taking a dive. They are grown now, each expecting their first child in 2017. I’ll bet these same fun things will be done with their children.
We have been playing with paper airplane with out grandchildren for a long long time. The oldest is now 16 and the youngest is 3. It is such great fun!! Hope that this will be a good memory for all 5 of them.
We have races…..its a blast.