PenPenWrites

Spring break is here. Summer is a comin'. Many of us will be seeing more of our Grands–and for longer stretches of time as our grown children take a weekend off or need coverage when school is out. Heather Smith, a former nanny (see note below), has written a guest post to share five tips on keeping the grandkids occupied and amused. Most of them are probably things you already do with your Grands; but one or two may be something you hadn't thought of. Her bottom line is simple: "Don’t worry about keeping them entertained," she writes. "As technology-obsessed as they may seem, they’re still kids and they’ll enjoy all the same things you did growing up." Here are her tips:

1. Play games: Even though kids seem to be completely encompassed in video games these days you’d probably be surprised how much they would enjoy playing board games or card games. Teach them how to play some of your favorite card games, or play games that everyone can join in on like Monopoly or Scrabble.

2. Bake together: Little kids love to “play” in the kitchen, so baking together is the perfect time to let them test out their culinary skills. They’ll have fun mixing all of the ingredients together and you’ll have a chance to pass onto them some family-favorite recipes. Then when they’re older and have their own grandkids they can pass it on to them, and thus a tradition will be born.

3. Visit a petting zoo: This one is almost always a guaranteed hit with the grandchildren. Not only will you be able to get outside and enjoy the outdoors but they’ll get to play with all sorts of animals. It’s the perfect way to spend a sunny afternoon together.

4.  Look through old pictures: You may think that they have no interest in learning about the past, but you’d be wrong. Little kids will have a blast looking through all your old pictures and hearing you tell stories to accompany them. Sure they make think your clothes were weird, but they’ll also look back fondly on those memories.

5. Go shopping: Let’s be honest, grandparents love to spoil their grandkids. Having them come for a visit is the perfect time to indulge in some quality time with them and spoil them with love and affection… and a few new toys! Then you can keep the toys at your house so they always have something to play with when they come over.

 Author Bio: Heather Smith is an ex-nanny who regularly contributes to various social media and parenting blogs/websites and to nanny service. She can be reached at H.smith7295@gmail.com.