My 12 Favorite Games to Play with Grandkids Now
Grandkids bored today? Sometimes, we simply run out of ideas. Here are my 12 favorite tried-and-tested games to play with grandkids now, a compendium from our archives.
Toddler Games
Entertaining fussy toddlers can be a bit of a challenge, especially if you find yourself sitting in the backseat of a car with the child, in a restaurant, or other confined space.
#1 Entertain toddlers by playing games without toys. Take off the child’s sock and turn it into a puppet; play finger-and-toe games. Almost anything can be a toy if you animate it. Check out all the many ways you can use existing items–even the child’s shoes–to play simple toddler games.
#2 Bean bag toss game: Stitch up some bean bags and fill with rice (easy directions in this post). Set up some large plastic bowls and play bean bags toss. You may have to position the bowls right next to the child so the bean bags can reach their mark.
Outdoor Games
#3 Fort fight: Turn big cartons into forts with a flag posted at each fort. Kids venture out of their forts to capture their opponent’s flag! Wadded-up recycle papers serve as ammunition. You can refine the game play by painting the forts and making shields. Parents and grandparents will have fun joining the fray.
#4 Backyard games: After six sessions of Camp Grandma, our at-home summer camp, we had a party to celebrate its completion. But you don’t need Camp Grandma as a reason to give the grandkids a good time playing these games in the backyard.
Rainy Day Games
When it’s too cold or too wet to play outside, plan on these games to entertain and challenge.
#5 Treasure hunt: With a handful of clues, you can plan a treasure hunt for kids that’s fun and gets them thinking. You may discover that the actual “treasure” you hide isn’t as motivating for them as the satisfaction of solving the clues. One of Miss T’s favorite games.
#6 Fishing game: Grandkids can make paper fish and go fishing. This easy DIY game will entertain, while enabling kids to use their math to tally their scores. Plus, it will keep kids occupied longer because they have to make the game pieces before they can play.
Another activity for rain days is a kitchen project, such as making yummy paletas, Mexican ice pops.
#7 Make your own board game: Make a custom travel board game with your grandchild. Decide where to go; define the obstacles and opportunities. This is one you can do long-distance online–you make the game board where you live, and move the pieces for the child.
Pretend Games
Kids get to be young entrepreneurs running a pretend cookie shop or restaurant, learning to promote their products and to engage with customers. Or, they can pretend to be a world traveler. Each of the games is enriching.
#8 Cookie shop game: First, kids make the cookies out of air dry clay, and then, customers buy the cookies with play money. I started this game with Miss T when she was almost four. By the time Little N was ready to play cookie shop at age five, the game had advanced to include making a TV commercial and drawing marketing posters.
#9 Restaurant game: At some time or other, most kids pretend they are cooking food, but in this game, we make menus, determine prices, and cut up magazine food to serve our patrons.
#10 Travel game: Take the grandkids around the world on pretend travels. Make a passport and use your imagination to set up your flight arrangements. Incorporate appropriate YouTube travel videos into this learning game.
Instant Games
These games require no equipment and no materials. They’re great spur-of-the-moment games when kids have nothing to do.
#11 Car counting game: When the children’s’ visit is winding down, the toys are put away, and we’re waiting for a parent to pick the kids up, we guess how many cars will go down the street before their ride arrives. Then we count the cars to see who comes closest. You can play this game waiting for the bus after school, or to offset boredom any time you’re waiting for a ride.
#12 Five for five: When you’re on FaceTime or zoom with your grandchildren and need to create some excitement, send them on a scavenger hunt, scurrying around their house to find ordinary household items. You make the list and give them a set amount of time to find the items. Set a buzzer.
As grandparents, we know instinctively that being part of our grandchildren’s world can only help to enrich their lives–as it enriches ours. And playing games is one fun way to interact.
Studies like one from the University of Oxford, in Oxford, England, confirm that kids who are exposed to a high level of grandparental involvement had fewer emotional and behavior problems. So, let the games begin!
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