A few years back, we shared 10 activities to do with your grandkids — simple ideas we have collected along the way from our own experiences and other grandparents we’ve talked to. Practical tips like this tend to be popular, and we understand why — grandparents are always looking for ways to connect with their grandkids.
So after you check out that list, here’s another set of ideas to help you build on what you’re already doing. Don’t try to do them all right away; start with one that fits your situation and your grandchild and go from there.
Pray Together
Praying with your grandkids can be some of the most rewarding and insightful times you have as a grandparent. A question like, “What should we pray about?” can help you find out what’s really going on in their world. You might find yourself praying for a sick dog, a lost hamster, an upcoming soccer game, or something deeper. That’s their world, and you’re entering it with them.
Tell Them Stories About Your Past
Storytelling is a vital part of the legacy we leave our grandchildren. What were your grandparents like? What was your first car? Where did you go on vacations as a child? What was your most embarrassing moment? Telling these stories works at any age, needs no materials, and happens naturally around meals, on drives, or during quiet moments together. Your grandkids want to know where they came from — and you’re the one who can tell them.
Run Errands Together
It sounds ordinary, but errands create unstructured time — the car ride, the grocery store, the post office. Grandkids often talk more when they’re not being directly asked to talk. And everyday moments become teachable ones: someone is rude at a restaurant, someone is helpful at the store, you find a wallet in a parking lot. The key is to recognize those moments and make use of them.
Teach Something via Video Call
If distance keeps you apart, technology can help. One grandfather we know arranged to video call several times a week to help his grandson with math homework. That time was priceless — and before and after the lesson, there was always time to connect about life. Surely there’s a skill or subject you could teach your grandkids. Figure out how to make it happen, even from hundreds of miles away.
Do a Service Project Together
Volunteer somewhere together. Help someone in your neighborhood. Doing something for others shifts the relationship from entertainment-based to values-based. Your grandkids get to see you caring for people outside the family — and that example is worth a lot. It’s also a great way to strengthen your relationship.
A Generosity Challenge
Try this: give your grandchild twenty dollars and help them find someone they can bless with that money in some way. It sends them on a mission, and the conversation afterward is often rich. Who did they find? What did they do? This teaches generosity by doing, not just telling.
Show Them Your Workshop, Collections, or Hobby Space
The garage, the sewing room, the garden shed, the workshop — these are spaces with stories. Let your grandchild into that world. Show them what you’re working on. Ask their opinion on something. Maybe let them help with something real. That’s memorable in a way a scheduled activity rarely is.
Work on a Project Together
Car maintenance. Building a birdhouse. Fixing a fence. Painting a room. That’s side-by-side connection at its best, which is especially meaningful with older grandkids. While you’re working on something together, conversations happen — often the best ones.
Look Through Old Family Photo Albums Together
Get out old family photo albums and settle in on the couch. For one thing, it puts you right next to each other, and that’s always a good thing. Almost every picture will have a story behind it. This is an incredible heritage-sharing opportunity, especially when you’re showing them photos of relatives they’ve never met.
Go Shopping Together to Buy a Gift for Someone
Take a grandchild shopping with you to buy a gift for your spouse, a friend, or a neighbor. Swear them to secrecy, of course — they’ll love being in on it, and they’ll probably give you some good ideas. And while you’re planning and picking something out, they’re watching you prioritize and express love for someone else. That’s a lesson that sticks.
What activities have worked well for you and your grandkids? Share your ideas on our Facebook page here — your suggestion might be just what another grandparent needs to hear.
