It's Time to Get Real Help for Kids
time to Reach Out to Grandma & Grandpa
It's time we start getting real help for kids because kids today
have ridiculous levels of stress and there is no better solution to the
problem than grandma and grandpa. You
don’t have to be an expert in anything to impress a child with your
knowledge and leave an indelible impact. Helping kids can be as easy
as tying a necktie or driving a car. Here’s a list of things to teach them they’ll never forget.
100 Ways Grandparents can offer real help for kids
- Whistle. This
skill tops the wishlist for preschoolers. If your
grandchildren already know how to whistle, teach them to use their fingers to
make it extra-loud.
- Spread icing on a
cake. This is a great tasting waste to offer help for kids. Show them how to
spread icing smoothly on all sides to make it look just so. Get creative and
pipe on some decorations, too. Don't forget to lick your fingers — and the
bowl!
- Dive. It's the
coolest way to enter the pool. Help your grandchildren learn to use the proper
technique and hit the water straight as an arrow. But remind them that diving
is only for the deep end!
- Grow a plant from
seed. Help for kids can start with learning about Mother Nature. It's way
better than gaming.
- Shoot a basketball
like their idols. By middle school, many young players are ready and eager to
shoot one-handed like their favorite players.
- Tie a necktie.
Grandsons will feel grown-up when they ditch clip-on ties for the real thing.
Watch them practice and give pointers. Older kids likely don't know how to tie
a real bow tie, a lost art and a classy touch — and one you'll teach them.
- Have a fingernail
and toenail painting party with your granddaughters. Here is a colorful help
for kids solution. This one on one time is as close as the nearest bottle of
nail polish and you can teach them about self-respect and personal hygiene at
the same time. A great way to combat future or current cyber-bullying.
- Write a thank-you
note. This is a skill your grandchildren can use for the rest of their lives.
The simple appreciative gesture is fading fast. Help for kids is really
powerful when they have a chance to go offline for awhile.
- Discover the
wonders of the local library. Show your grandchildren all the amazing free
things the library has to offer. Search on the computer for books they love and
teach them how to use call numbers to locate them.
- Jump rope. Young
children love the simple joy of mastering this healthy activity. Teach older
children how to jump double-dutch.
- Make water defy
gravity. Young grandchildren will be amazed by the simple trick of holding
water in a straw by placing your thumb over the top.
- Identify a bird by
its features and call. Help for kids can be as easy as a pair of binoculars and
a bird watching journal.
- Make a bird feeder.
Whether or not you are a carpentry whiz who can make one of the little wooden
houses or a bird lover who uses a plastic bottle, bird crafts are fun and
educational.
- Shuffle cards the cool
way. Every kid wants to learn the riffle shuffle. Who knew help for kids could
be as simple as a deck of cards?
- Hit a baseball. If
your grandchildren play T-ball, softball, or Little League, the fundamentals of
hitting are the same. Watch their self-esteem grow with each base hit!
- Blow on a dandelion
and make a wish.
- Swim all the
strokes. Teach them the backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and how to breathe
as they swim freestyle.
- Crochet a sweater
or scarf. Teaching how to use a pair of knitting needles is a
- Ride a two-wheel
bicycle. A very important way to offer help for kids is by giving them their
first taste of independence on a bicycle.
- Putt a golf ball.
Whether your family is made up of Arnold Palmers or of mini-golf lovers, teach
them the art of the pure stroke.
- Tying their own
shoelaces is a frustration for most kids and grandparents can really offer help
for kids during this time with patience and tolerance.
- Do push-ups,
sit-ups, jumping jacks, and other exercises. Make healthy physical exertion
fun. The younger kids start, the better.
- Discover the world
from home. Explain what a globe is, then spin it. Have your grandchildren stop
it with their finger, and tell them about the country they landed on, including
time, climate, and cultural specifics. Help for kids is especially good when it
is fun and educational, too.
- Make a hat out of
newspaper. Help for kids can be a blast by making hats and acting out scenes
from movies.
- Set the table. Get
out your fine china and show them what a full place setting looks like,
complete with all the accoutrements, and teach them how to elegantly fold a
napkin, too. Help for kids and stress can be disguised at etiquette lessons.
- Use good table
manners. Teach your grandchildren what each piece of silverware is for and how
to use it politely. Make this fun with a tea party (real or imaginary).
- Shake hands firmly.
Learning this skill is a great way to provide help for kids that will benefit
them throughout life.
- Eat with
chopsticks. Another tasty help for kids solution.
- Play with the
garden hose. Show them how to use their thumbs to make the hose spray a wide
arc or squirt a focused stream.
- Practice
photography. For grandchildren, who don't often get a chance to play with a
real camera, share yours and point out techniques that make good
photos.
- Shop for a
discount. Show your grandchildren how to get more for less, whether you're
buying new shoes or just weekly groceries. Help for kids can be
inexpensive.
- Teach them to snap
their fingers. Have a musically, fun time offering help for kids.
- Push them on the
swing so they can go higher.
- Use all those tools
in the garage. Your grandkids may have no idea what the tools are for. Let them
help you with a simple home-improvement project. The best way to learn is
hands-on, after all.
- Tell time on an
analog clock with hour-and-minute hands.
- Play a new card
game. If your young grandchildren don't know any card games, start with War .
- Assemble a jigsaw
puzzle. Set the top right-side up so you can refer to the image as you go. Find
all the straight edges that form the perimeter. Group together pieces clearly
from the same area of the image. Show the basic movements of each piece on a
chess board.
- Tell a good ghost
story.
- Speak another
language. Teach them all the different ways to say buenos dias and au revoir.
After that, start them on colors and counting.
- Throw a Frisbee.
It's all in the wrist. Once they get down the basic backhand toss, there are
other cool throws like the forehand and the hammer. Later, teach them how to
play Frisbee golf.
- Do crossword
puzzles.
- Solve a Sudoku
puzzle. Help for kids can also help with brain development.
- Play a game of
hangman. Play this simple game almost anywhere, as long as you have a pen and a
sheet of paper.
- Play croquet in the
backyard.
- Play jacks. Forget
video games; this classic game will fascinate your grandchildren. Bounce the
ball, grab the jacks, and catch that ball!
- Arrange a vase of
flowers.
- Make an ice cream
soda.
- Share basics of
sailing. Impart the special vocabulary (aft, starboard, come about), explain
how a boat harnesses the wind, and let their imaginations run wild with
thoughts of nautical adventure.
- Sound it out. Young
children need an adult who will sit while they slowly read their first books.
Grandparents always want more cuddle time. Win win!
- Fold origami
shapes.
- Wrap a present
elegantly.
- Drive a car.
Increase what the kids learn in drivers' ed, take them to an empty parking lot
and let them show their stuff. If you can teach them how to drive a stick
shift, so much the better.
- Shoot pool.
Demonstrate the best way to shoot the cue ball with a cue. Help them hold their
hands the right way and strike the cue ball cleanly.
- Make scary
flashlight faces.
- Tie different kinds
of knots. If you're a former sailor, eagle scout, girl or boy scout or girl
guide, pass on your knowledge. Teach them how to tie a slipknot, a butterfly
knot, or a figure eight. Help for kids can get you all tied up in knots with
laughter, too.
- Declare a thumb war
— one, two, three, four.
- Draw better. Share
tips on how to draw figures with sharper dimension and better detail.
- Perform tricks with
a yo-yo.
- Bait a hook. When
fishing with the grandkids, teach them how to bait a hook themselves.
- Braid a friend's
hair.
- Use a compass to
find the way.
- Identify
constellations in the night sky.
- Train a dog.
Introduce the kids to ways to have dogs respond to a simple task like
"sit" or "fetch." It will also bond the grandchildren to
the dog for life.
- Throw fastballs,
curveballs, and more. Share the tricks to make a pitch dip, dive, curve, or
rise, and your Little Leaguers will thank you over and over.
- Throw a football in
a tight spiral.
- Make a sandcastle.
Show them how to make a castle that stands proudly.
- Build a campfire. There are many types of creative campfires you can build with grandkids.
- Make a fire without
matches or a lighter.
- Play a musical
instrument. Teach them the basics of your favorite instrument and see if they
take to it.
- Wash the car. This
is one of life's great activities for kids: They learn how to wash a car, you
both get all wet and have fun outside, and you get a clean car out of the deal!
- Read music. Teach
your future Mozarts the basics of how to read notes and measure time.
- Tie a pretty bow.
Young grandchildren hold this skill in high regard. Bows decorate things they hold dear: hair, presents, clothes, and shoes.
- Do a cartwheel.
Even if you can't do one yourself, you are proving that help for kids is as
easy as spending time together and cheering on their efforts.
- Twirl a hula hoop.
Not only will your grandkids love learning to hula hoop, they will never forget
the sight of you shaking your hips!
- Whistle with a
blade of grass. If you know how to do this, your grandchildren will be
impressed. If you teach them to do it, they will remember it forever.
- Juggle three or
more balls.
- Make play dough at
home.
- Show the steps to
your favorite dance. If you are not exactly Fred Astaire, teach them something
silly like the Hokey Pokey or the Chicken Dance!
- Sing the lyrics to
a Beatles' song. Who better than grandma or grandpa to take help for kids back
to the 60's and 70's.
- Balance a spoon on
your nose.
- Cook eggs. There
are many fun, easy tricks grandkids can learn: crack the shell
on the counter, separate the yolk from the white, make an omelet and fold it.
- Make a star with a
rubber band or provide excellent help for kids with some string and a quick
search on Google for some Cat's Cradle designs.
- Catch fireflies.
Catching these enchanting little creatures is one of those magical childhood
memories that the grandkids should not miss.
- Walk along the curb
like it's a balance beam.
- Make shadow puppets
with your fingers.
- Tell a joke. Help
your grandchildren exercise their funny bones; give them pointers on making
their punchlines sparkle.
- Throw a piece of
popcorn in the air and catch it in your mouth. The ultimate way to offer help
for kids.
- Blow a bubble with
a piece of gum.
- Teach a
stock-market lesson. Give your grandchildren a few shares, real or imaginary,
in a company (even a single share will do). Encourage them to keep track of how
the stock is performing and talk to them about the factors at work.
- Shoot a rubber band
across the room. Have a rubber band shooting competition.
- Make a drinking
glass sing by tracing the rim with a damp finger.
- Play hopscotch. Get
out the sidewalk chalk and introduce your grandchildren to this timeless game.
- Create a flower
necklace. The best kind of help for kids is just finding the flowers and
spending the time together sorting out the patterns.
- Fly a kite. Show
your grandchildren how to run it out, give it slack, pull it taut, and manage
the spool.
- Making paper
snowflakes is a wonderful way to provide help for kids. Make as many different shapes as you can.
- Play Rock, Paper,
Scissors. Kids love the simplicity of this game and will use it to settle
almost any dispute.
- Skip a rock across
calm waters.
- Amaze friends with
simple magic tricks. Pull a rabbit from a hat, pull a quarter from behind their
ear, or pull their nose off with a bit of deception. Whatever fun tricks you
can impart, they will cherish.
- Make guacamole.
This delicious dip involves a little bit of seasoning and a lot of messy
squishing. Let them use their hands.
- Having a laughing contest.
Reference: http://www.grandparents.com/grandkids/activities-games-and-crafts/100-things-to-teach-grandchildren
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