Good Advice Needed for First Time Grandmother

I used Leap Pad and Vsmile learning toys to keep my son interested. He really liked learning and loved too read

I have a daughter who just completed kindergarten. We have limited TV time and also do not buy her "branded" toys (ie characters in movies which will then make her want to see the movie). I know these things will come as they socialize in school eventually, which is fine, but I am not going to speed it up any because I do want to stimulate her mind as much as possible.

We use mostly non-battery toys: Mighty Minds, Brain Quest, Trouble/Sorry/checkers and other board games, playdough and crafts, pretend play (simple dolls, trucks, blocks, dishes, dress up clothes, etc.). We have velcro darts, Twister, a parachute for play, musical instruments, lots of CDs and a small player on each floor, playing cards and tons of books. I (almost) never refuse to buy an age appropriate book when my children ask and my daughter can now read short books on her own.

My parents have stimulated her learning tremendously. They take her to educational places that are also fun: the local farm (with ice cream of course!), the Please Touch museum, the Nutcracker Ballet at the Academy of Music, a local childrens theatre. They also cook with her (mostly baking) and do art projects, puzzles and gardening. My daughter adores them and could not enjoy her time with them more.

Enjoy it all. What a terrific grandmom you must be!!

Parents don't understand how important it is for your child to have relationships with grandparents or "older" adults that are just like grandparents. Granparents lend an aspect of education that is different from the parents. Usually a grandparent has more patience with a child and this is highly beneficial. My parents take my kids on nature hikes and teach them about the environment. My husbands parents take my kids to museums and science centers. They all share stories with my kids of their own childhood which is educational in itself. I say utilize your granparent ability to have extra patience and let your grandson do some hands-on learning...take him to the children's museum or choose a library book about birds. Buy him a disposable camera and the two of you can take pictures of some of the birds tht you read about.

Personally I'd leave it to his parents. I understand you are a proud Grandmother, but just being supportive to your children in the way they raise their son is enough.

If you care for your Grandson on a daily basis that is a different story. Then I would suggest to just make learning fun, keep the expectations to a miniumum & PRAISE, PRAISE, PRAISE!!

Dear J.,

Take walks and count the trees as you walk or the cracks in the sidewalk. Count or identify the color of the cars/trucks as they go by. Point out the cardinal that flies by or the bluebird or the rosebush. Spend time together and tell your grandson about your life when you were his age. Show him pictures from when you were a child. I have such fond memories of spending time with my grandmother. They were calm, relaxing, not a care in the world kind of days. Keep it simple, keep it fun. He'll learn lots!

I disagree with the previous post. It's a blessing to a child when a grandmother is VERY involved with her grandchild! Whether you are a caregiver or not.
My son is extremely close to my mom and I love it!

I think O. of the best things ANYONE can do for a child they love is to cultivate a love of books and reading. There are SO many great books out there, parents can't possibly get all of them! Read to him every chance you get! Take him to your local library and see what he gravitates to. If you can afford to, shower him with books! My son (also starting K this fall), loves Highlights High Five magazines (age appropriate Highlights) and the new Puzzle Buzz books by Hilights. You can probably subscribe on-line.
Keep him interested in science by doing simple experiments, etc.
Find & print out on-line puzzle pages (mazes, coloring pages, etc.) and do them with him when you are together. Take him to The Science Center, etc.
Way to go grandma! My MIL spends about 10 minutes a month with my son but my mom more than makes up for it! God bless!

Read, read read read and read some more!! Activity coloring books, going to a local musuem, science center, library summer activities...tons of great stuff to do out there...have fun and explore your community!! Congrats and best wishes!

hello first time grandmother. i am a kindergarten teacher and feel that it is important to keep children learning even out of school. i have a 4 year old, and a 2 month old, and my daughter has tons of books of varying topics and kind. i read to her daily and even encourage her to read to me, even if it is talking about what she sees in the pictures. i am also always asking her questions. i ask her about things we see on tv, colors, numbers,letters, shapes, and do a lot of talking when we go for walks. i simply try to make a learning experience wherever i can and try to make it fun. playing play-doh, or sand, or chalk and making letters, shapes, numbers, animals, etc and talking about what you make. one important factor is sitting and listening. so if you read with your grandson and ask him questions about what was read that will help him tons in kindergarten.

I know of a great website, it's www.enchantedlearning.com

It spans a wide range of age levels. I reference it quite a bit.

My aunt is such a great Grandmother to my kids. i love the traditions that she has with them. Like baking and decorating cookies for every holiday. Just about everything you could do with your grandchild can be educational. Mine are a little young yet but when they are older they can help measure and read the recipe, lots of math and science skills right there.
I would say, anything you enjoy doing whether it's cooking or gardening or traveling, you can share that with your grandchildren and make it educational. Planting a garden requires math skills to count and measure the depth to plant and the spacing for each seedling, you could have him make labels for vegetables, you could take photos or draw pictures sequencing the growth of the plants.
Look at it like this, by giving children these hands on experiences it creates a link to the "book" work that they do in school, so when they are doing a science experiment or reading a story about a sunflower, they can reference that to what YOU showed them about real life.
Does his school have a grandparents day you can share in?? could you come with your son to open house??
I don't know how close you live, but all kids love getting mail. I bet he would love to learn to write letters or cards back to you.
I bet he'll be fine. so lucky to have a grandma like you!

watch pbs- they have nice shows like super why,dragon,tales,sesame street and word world. make sure to also buy some educational things like flash cards with letters and numbers on them. reading with kids is also an important thing.

You sound so sweet! My kids are close to their 4 grandparents, having an unique relationship with each one. My dad hears and tells the stories. Same with my father-in-law. My FIL teaches my kids golf. My dad calls my kids even when I'm not home, just to hear about their day. My MIL, a retired reading teacher, talks with them about books (conversations the kids start) and buys them books after researching them...it's just the way she is! My mom teaches them to knit, to cook, to bake. All along the way, they are learning. Kids can learn so much from their grandparents!

As for keeping him motivated, a lot of that has to do wkith home good a teacher your grandson has! If he has a dynamic, interesting teacher, he will be more motivated to complete his homework before playing, etc.

So much learning is developmental...playing with friends, paying with you...and not with a Game Boy or and X-Box! When my kids have friends over (or if there is a babysitter), there is no TV playing or computer on...just playing.

Have fun with it! As you know, it goes so quickly!