Seven Favorite Gifts for Preschoolers

The gift-giving season can be challenging for grandmas.  Today I want to share some of my favorite gifts for the little ones in my life with the hope it will help you choose gifts for your grandkids. I've included links to my Amazon affiliate account for your shopping convenience.

This teepee has been a big hit with my granddaughters.  Their mom decorated it as a Christmas tree this year, making it new and fun for them. It has withstood approximately five years of fun and games with these sweet girls.

These mesh bags are perfect for collecting treasures on the beach, in the park, or in the woods.  If you are a grandma who likes to go on scavenger hunts with your grandkids, you'll want each of them to have a bag of their own. I keep them handy at my house, but moms and dads will appreciate them at their homes, too.

There is a bag full of beach treasure in the back seat of my car today!

These walkie-talkies are fun for sibling grandkids and Super Mario Brothers is popular with kids again.  Give them as a gift, or keep them at your home for fun during visits.

This robot dog is fun for the technically advanced preschooler.  If you have a grandchild, like I do, who is curious about how things work and loves buttons and tablets, this is a fun option.

These Mega blocks are always a good option for encouraging children to practice their STEAM skills in many ways. Whether sorting colors, making patterns, or building towers to knock down, this set of 150 blocks can provide hours of good fun. Even though this makes a great gift, I like to keep a set of these at my house, too.

Toddlers, preschoolers, and young school-age children alike gravitate toward this Fisher Price Doctor Kit. I still have the one my sons played with over thirty years ago and it's the toy my grandchildren always head for first. I wish it still had the hard case it came with long ago.

I can't say enough good things about this Montessori book.  

It is well-designed and well-thought-out with 14 pages to practice the concepts of Alphabet, Numbers, Colors, Shapes, Farm Animals & Pets, Sea Animals, Healthy Food, Transportation, Emotions, Opposites, Weather, Days of the Week, Months of the Year and the Human Body. It uses Velcro-secured images that children love removing and replacing in the book.

Each of these items is in stock as I publish this post.  I hope you find these ideas helpful.  Please share other fun ideas for the three-five-year-old preschooler in the comments.

Gift Giving Tips for Today's Grandmas

Are you thinking about gifts for your grandkids, with birthdays around the corner or the holiday season approaching? 

Gift-giving can be both joyful and challenging for grandmas. Let's see if we can make it a little less challenging and a little more fun with some helpful tips.

Today, let’s explore the world of thoughtful gift-giving, where your love shines through every present you give. But we're also going to talk about something equally important – boundaries. Finding the perfect gift is not just about making your grandkids smile; it's also about showing respect for the boundaries set by their parents.

Three Fun Outdoor Activities to do with Grandkids: Ages 5-11

As grandmothers, we cherish the moments spent with our grandkids, and what better way to create lasting memories than by embarking on outdoor adventures together? A nature walk offers a picturesque setting for a day of exploration and connection with nature.

Today I’m sharing three fun outdoor activities designed to engage and entertain your 5-11-year-old grandkids while discovering the wonders of nature in a local park or nature preserve. Your backyard could be a substitute location, too. 

Fall Outdoor Fun with Grandkids 

(This post contains paid links.)

From the art of bark rubbing to exciting nature scavenger hunts and the beauty of leaf and flower pressing, these outdoor activities promise both fun and educational experiences for both you and your grandkids.

Fall Books for Grandkids

Reading to grandkids is such a special time. As a former teacher, I know what a difference you can make in a child's life by reading aloud to them regularly.

Don't you love being snuggled up in a chair with your little ones and a book?

Fall Books to Read and Activities to Do with Grandkids 

Today I'm sharing some fun fall books to read paired with related activities your grandkids will love.

Fall Book Suggestions 

Here are a couple of fall-themed books that will be fun to read aloud and also spur some fun follow-up activities.

(This post contains paid links.)

Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pak for your 2-6-year-old grandkids, is a lovely book focused on the changes in nature we can see as we transition to fall. The pictures provide ample opportunities to identify things and expand vocabulary. Children in this age group are beginning to learn about seasons, weather, and changes in their environment. This book will help with those concepts.

You can also follow up your reading time with age-appropriate activities like:

1. Go for a walk in your neighborhood or a park looking for animals who may be preparing for winter.
2. Identify and gather fall flowers and colorful leaves. Talk about things that are similar and different about your finds.
3. Talk about how the weather changes from summer to fall and what that means in the clothing you wear. Give your child a warm hat in preparation for colder weather. (Extra points if you knit the hat)

 


Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White for the 4-8 year-olds in your life. This book tells the story of a woman faced with too many pumpkins growing in her yard and the challenge of what to do with them.

This is a wordy book, so you'll want to test it out to see if your grandchild is ready to sit and listen. If not, the pictures are detailed and you can adapt the story to meet your grandchild's attention span.

You'll find this book to be a terrific launching pad for a number of fall-themed activities to do with your 4-8-year-old grandchild.

1. Bake together. Pumpkin-flavored muffins, quick bread, or pie
2. Talk about the value of sharing. How was sharing important in the book? How can sharing be something we do in our own lives?
3. Carve or decorate pumpkins together. If you carve the pumpkins, save the seeds for planting in the spring.

Some Tips for Reading Aloud

1. Choose books appropriate for your grandchild's age and attention span.
2. Choose a cozy space for reading. Your grandchild will come to associate reading time with snuggles from grandma.
3. Board books are best for grandkids less than two years old.
4. Books with colorful pictures enhance the story.
5. Be an animated reader. Make silly sounds when appropriate. This is a time for you to be dramatic.
6. Feel free to adapt the story in whatever way you want. Make it fun.

Tips for Distance Grandmas

It sure can be challenging to be a distance grandma but there are ways to get around the challenge of miles.
1. Video yourself reading the book aloud. You can read the book on a video call with your grandchild and send the book to them afterward.
2. Bake muffins or quick bread and send it to your grandchild.
3. Create a scavenger hunt for fall and challenge your grandchild to find the signs of fall. You can find my fall scavenger hunt here.

Plan now for fall activities with your grandkids so you'll be ready.  There's no time like the present to get prepared.

Five Tips for Rocking Painting with Grandkids to Build Memories

About a year ago I was inspired by a glorious picture of colorfully painted rocks in a garden.  It got me thinking about how fun it would be to have a multitude of colorful rocks in my own garden painted by my granddaughters.

I had already made an outdoor tic-tac-toe game for my granddaughter and nephews. It became a huge hit with the kids.  My granddaughter, who was just three at the time, actually loved hiding and finding the ladybugs and bumblebees in the garden each time she visited.  

My nephews, who are older, enjoyed playing tic-tac-toe with them.

Searching for rocks and painting them has become a favorite activity for my granddaughter and me. We go rock hunting and paint a rock or two every time she visits for and overnight. 

Some of the rocks stay with me and some go home with her to her own garden.  She loves the ladybugs and bumblebees from the tic-tac-toe game so much that she frequently wants to paint more of them herself. She also likes to paint rocks for her mom and dad.

What started as a simple, fun activity has turned into a "thing" with us.  It makes this grandma very happy.  We are building memories together. Our rock hunting time together is fun and she now talks about her rock collection.

Our rock painting sessions are fun, too.  

Here are my suggestions for fun, successful rock painting sessions with toddlers:

1. Plan ahead.  Gather the materials you will use in advance.

2. Keep it simple.  Use no more than three colors of acrylic paint at a time.  Use a different paintbrush for each color.

3. Manage the mess.  Cover your painting surface with paper.  I like to save and use the large sheets of newsprint I get with my TJMaxx or HomeGoods purchases. 

Use a smock to cover your grandchild's clothing. 

Use paper plates for the paints.  

Buy cheap paintbrushes that can be tossed out, if necessary. Check your local dollar store

4. Manage time.  Toddler attention spans are short.  Keep the painting sessions short.

5. Encourage creativity.  Don't try to control the outcome.  Just let your toddler paint and have fun.

"Repetition" is the word to remember if you are a grandma wanting to build lasting memories with your grandchildren. Choose activities to do over and over again that can become your thing to do with grandchildren.  

Activities like rock painting are fabulous because: 

-you can do them together, 

-they are not age-dependent

-your grandchild has a physical object to help remember the activity.

In my case, I'm hoping to have a large collection of colorful rocks in my garden that we can admire together for a very long time.

Track the Cicadas with Your Grandkids

 

Cool Grandma Alert!

Do you have a grandchild who loves bugs?

If you live in an area of the country that will experience the once in 17 years emergence of the Brood X cicadas you have a big opportunity to create a memory with your budding entomologist.

This is a very nice cicada map showing where and when cicadas will emerge by year. Use this as a guide to determine if your grandchild's state will see emerging cicadas.

It doesn't matter whether you live near or far from your grandchild. This is an opportunity for you to share an interest with your grandchild for a once in seventeen years experience.

Photo Source: pixabay.com (PROD83)

This is an ideal outdoors activity to do with your bug-loving grandchild who is between the ages of 8 and 12. Does the thought of thousands of bugs emerging from the ground creep you out? Just remember they are harmless to humans and pets.

You and your grandchild can research cicadas together. Create a journal with pictures, information, and tracking data for your grandchild's neighborhood.

Your Cicada Tracking Game Plan

Step One: Use this link to Print and review the Cicadas Fact Sheet.

Step Two: Use this link to print and color the picture of the cicada.

Step Three: Download the Cicada Safari app from your phone's app store and help the Behavioral and Natural Sciences at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, Ohio track this once in seventeen years event. This is an opportunity for you to encourage your curious grandchild to embrace science and record this infrequent event. Your grandchild can take a picture of a cicada that will become part of the research to map and track the Brood X cicadas.

Step Four: Track the number of cicadas you can see at the same time each day. For example, go outside and count the number of cicadas you can find in one minute at noon each day.

Step 5: Take pictures with your phone of the cicadas in your yard.

It’s time to create a memory. This won’t happen again until 2038.

10 Tips for Painting with Kids

Do You Paint with Your Grandkids?

I love art activities with kids because creative activities seem to encourage children to share their thoughts. Sometimes those thoughts can be deep and sometimes nonsensical, but always fun.

You might be reluctant to paint with your grandkids for fear of the mess that could happen. Just a little preparation on your part will make it easier to control the mess.

10 Tips for Painting with Grandkids

1. Use age-appropriate art supplies. Don't offer too much choice for little ones. They can get overwhelmed by too many options. With a paint set, only offer a few of the colors.  Too many paints just ask for trouble. Check out art supplies for kids
2. Prepare your space. I like to tape newsprint down on the painting surface. I save the paper I get from TJMaxx and Home Goods for this purpose. Waxed paper is another good option. You can get cheap rolls at the $Store.
3. Choose your location wisely. Opt for outdoors when the weather permits.  Inside, choose the room with the most hard surfaces.
4. Use paper plates as pallets for acrylic paint. I like to use tubes so I can squeeze a limited amount onto the paper plate. Another option is to save lids from jars and containers to separate paint colors.
5. Dress your grandchild appropriately. I have an old T-shirt I use as a paint shirt with my granddaughter (4 years old). Make sure the arms are not long enough to get in the way.
6. When you start painting young you can teach children to clean as they go, to screw lids back on, and to contain the mess.
7. Keep the length and difficulty of the project age-appropriate. 
8. Timing is important.  Don't start a painting project when a child is tired.  Cranky children and paint do not mix.
9. Give your grandchild creative freedom. You may have planned to paint a tree with green leaves and a brown trunk but your grandchild may think a tree with purple leaves and an orange trunk is better.  It's okay.
10. Bring your patience.  There is bound to be some spillage or mess.  If you have prepared, it will be minimal.  You want this to be enjoyable for your grandchild.

Painting with grandchildren can be fun for both of you.  Painting sessions are an opportunity to let your imagination run wild. 

Try mixing colors.  If you are a bit rusty on mixing colors, look up the color wheel on the internet and go from there. Get a color wheel from Amazon.

Use different types of brushes and different widths of brushes to see different results. There are many Value Packs of Brushes available on Amazon.

Use different surfaces to paint on, like paper, canvas, construction paper, rocks, boards, and glass.

Save your grandchild's paper art projects in a portfolio.  I like this one.

Make painting with your grandkids a regular activity and you will both look back on those times with fondness.  You may even be able to get them to put down their electronics.