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51. Go for a bike ride
52. Take turns blowing bubbles, chasing them, and
seeing how many you can pop
53. Create books from construction and notebook
paper – have the child draw pictures –
the adult can write the words if the child is too
young
54. Dance around and make shadows under a full moon
55. Sing songs together
56. Send pictures of yourself, your pets, friends,
etc to your child or grandchild if they live far
away
57. Go outside and play together – be a child
again yourself
58. During the holidays – go shopping together
for a toy or gift to donate to a child in need
59. Ask your child what she/he enjoys doing the
most. Then schedule a time to do that activity together
60. Go to the library for story-time
61. Go to a play at the theatre – have them
dress up for the occasion
62. Let the child select the activity for the two
of you to do together
63. Play cards together – “Go Fish”,
“Uno”, etc.
64. Make a zip lock bag book with pictures of yourself,
the two of you together, etc. To make the book,
use three or four sandwich size zip lock bags without
any writing on them. On the side that does not have
the zipper, sew the bags together. Or use a hole
punch and yarn to hold them together. Cut colored
construction paper to fit inside the bag, then place
photos, pictures of animals, etc. inside the bags.
65. Go to the beach and build a sand castle or bury
each other in the sand
66. Let the child make lunch or dinner for the entire
family. It can be as simple as PB& J sandwiches.
Help them by setting the table or cleaning up afterward.
67. Take a photo of a large drawing or picture.
Have it enlarged to poster size, then cut into pieces
and make a puzzle or collage out of it.
68. Jump rope together. You’ll have fun and
get great exercise at the same time.
69. Have a “spa” day with your daughter
or granddaughter. Paint each others fingernails
and toenails, brush and style each others hair,
and/or put on a face mask to peel off. A quiet and
relaxing activity.
70. Have a question and answer session where the
child is allowed to ask anything they want. A great
way to get to know each other.
71. After reading a book together, discuss the child’s
favorite part, what the book was about, likes or
dislikes about the story, etc.
72. Read a bedtime story to your child or grandchild.
73. Be available to help the child with homework
and praise her/him for being smart or doing a good
job
74. Use shaving cream to do finger-painting on a
paper plate
75. Go outside after a good rain and play in the
rain puddles
76. Fly a kite together
77. Do exercises together
78. Go to Chuck E Cheese and play games
79. Go to Grand Prix for a go cart ride
80. Play baseball together
81. Tell the child/grandchild stories about the
family’s history
82. Watch the sun rise
83. Make a dish or meal that is a family recipe
and explain who started it and passed it down
84. Have an indoor picnic on a rainy day. Pack a
lunch and put a blanket on the living room floor.
After eating, play some board games, cards, etc.
Then pack up the picnic basket, fold the blanket,
and walk back home (the kitchen).
85. When traveling, play games such as looking for
license tags from all of the states. Or choose a
color and then have the child name everything they
see of that particular color on the trip.
86. Another travel tip is to give the child a map
that they can use to see the route that is being
driven. This not only helps them be part of the
travel plans, but also provides you the opportunity
to teach them how to read a map.
87. Help your child make a card or present for their
grandparents for birthdays or holidays instead of
buying one.
88. Each write a list of 5 things they love about
the other one
89. Spend a day at the zoo
90. Together, look up information on the different
animals that you saw at the zoo
91. Buy a book on birds and see if how many different
species there are in your neighborhood. Identify
them using your book.
92. Go to a baseball game and take in the whole
experience including hot dogs and cotton candy.
93. Go to the fair and attend the livestock show.
Discuss afterward the different animals that were
there.
94. Paint or draw pictures together
95. Teach your child to play chess
96. Visit a nursing home together
97. Let your child or grandchild help you wash your
car. Spray each other with the hose.
98. Go see fireworks on the Fourth of July
99. Help your child pick out a special present for
the other parent or grandparent
100. Hug your child every day!!
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100
Ways To Spend Quality Time With Your Child or
Grandchild
It is important to spend quality time with
your child. It helps to form a closer bond between
the two of you and teaches both of you new ideas
and respect for each other’s opinions.
It can be fun and educational at the same time.
1. Take a nature walk
– identify and discuss various kinds of birds,
bugs, flowers, and trees that you see along the
way
2. Turn the nature walk into a treasure hunt –
collect leaves, rocks, or feathers to take back
home
3. Play some music and dance with each other –
be silly
4. Make musical instruments out of household items
(a drum out of an empty oatmeal box, etc)
5. Bake a cake, cookies, or cupcakes and decorate
them
6. Play board games together
7. Play catch with a ball
8. Teach your child or grandchild a magic trick
9. Make puppets out of paper bags and put on a puppet
show
10. Build something together with building blocks
11. Have a tea party with the cookies you have baked
together
12. After the tea party, wash the dishes by hand
and play in the soapy water
13. Go on a picnic – let the child select
a favorite treat to take
14. Volunteer for an organization or event in which
both you and your child can participate. Make family
t-shirts to wear.
15. Color in a coloring book together
16. Go to the playground – swing, seesaw,
etc, together
17. Lay on the ground and look up at the clouds
– name different shapes of animals or objects
that you see the clouds form
18. At night, look up at the sky and point out various
constellations
19. Make things out of play-dough
20. Make homemade play-dough
21. Have the child teach you - the parent or grandparent
- about something that interests her/him (examples:
video games, a special book, sports, etc)
22. Read to the child or have the child read to
you
23. Go fishing together
24. Attend the child’s sporting events, plays,
music performances, etc.
25. Sit on the floor (at the child’s level)
and play legos, dinosaurs, or board games
26. Go for ice cream
27. Plant flowers or herbs in decorative pots and
check on their growth each week
28. Go to the library and let the child take her
time selecting books of her choice
29. Watch the sunset
30. Eat dinner together at the table with no other
interruptions such as the TV, etc.
31. Go to a movie together
32. Use the movie to start a conversation
33. Help them write letters to family members that
do not live close by
34. Go to the beach and collect shells
35. Rock painting – find smooth rocks and
paint faces or pictures on them
36. Volunteer at your child’s school
37. Volunteer to go on field trips with your child’s
class
38. Go to a new restaurant together
39. Go to the craft shop and select a craft to make
together
40. Look at the family photo album while sharing
stories about the past
41. Swim in a pool
42. Go to the park to feed the ducks, fish, or squirrels
43. Play “Jack and Jill” on the slide
at the playground
44. Listen, really listen, to what the child or
grandchild is telling you
45. Make up a story and have them add to it
46. Act out stories by dressing up in homemade costumes
and using household props
47. Play games like “Hide and Seek”
or “Freeze Tag”
48. Use finger paints to make handprints or footprints
49. Use a disposable camera on the nature walks
or visits to the playground - make a collage with
the photos
50. After school, spend time with them to find out
how their day was and what they did
Continued
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