To wrap up the grandma school series, but moreover kick off the new year, Dr. Jill has some final experiences to share for those of us with young grandchildren.
Fun Experiences
As a Mimi myself, I bring my “Mimi’s Travel Bag” that I fill with activities to do with our grandchildren when we visit them. I pack crafts, books, games, or cooking activities. No presents and no treats. I’m looking to create memories and educational fun. I knew my oldest granddaughter was getting the message when she asked “Mimi, did you bring some fun experiences with you?” Now they unchangingly squint to see if I brought my bag.
Live Simply
There is something well-nigh a new year, expressly through the vision of a grandchild. The world looks variegated through the vision of little ones. For Dr. Jill, it was a joy to watch her granddarlings, month 6, 4, and 2, explore the variegated Christmas ornaments in and outside the home over the holidays. But now in the new year, she is reminded to ‘live simply’ and squint at life through the vision of a child.
Idea #1: Winter Shaving Surf Painting
Using a large tray, shaving cream, various shades of undecorous paints and a stirrer/twig, have the children help fill the tray with shaving cream. Squirt various colors of undecorous paint into the foam and indulge children to use the presented stirrers or their fingers to create marbled painting.
Why?
There is no largest sensory wits than the finger of shaving surf between your fingers. Using shaving surf allows children to explore their sense of touch, smell, and sight and to develop their fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination as they pick up, stir, yank shapes, and letters.
Idea #2: Ice Ornaments/Painting on Ice Cubes
Those of us who love taking children outside, can teach children to fathom the signs of winter virtually them. Going on a scavenger venery to find berries, greenery, some sticks, or other pieces of outside Mother Nature will provide verisimilitude for your ornaments.
Fill a dish with water and add a piece of string submerged into the water. Indulge children to place the items in the water. Place the dish outside overnight to freeze. Take them out of the dish and hang. Listen to what children say when they discover they are melting. Children can moreover use watercolor paints to add verisimilitude to their ornament surpassing hanging outside. Or they can simply paint on ice cubes. You may also read this: Lonely and Married? Try These 5 Tips for Navigating Marital Challenges in Retirement
Why?
Children learn vocabulary words like freeze and melt, and possibly the states of matter. Using their fine motor skills to create the ornament and paint the ice cubes help children with grip strength, eye-hand coordination, and dexterity. Playing with ice stimulates all the senses including touch, sight, hearing and plane taste!
Idea #3: Mitten Match
Fill a box with pairs of mittens and gloves of various sizes and colors. Have the children find the ‘pairs’ of mittens or gloves and practice putting them on. Follow up with listening or reading the story,
Why?
Understanding the vocabulary word pair. What else comes in pairs? Extend the worriedness by creating a box of socks and asking children to find the pairs of socks.
Benefits of Stem
One last word on STEM activities. STEM activities teach Science while tent Technology, Engineering, and Math. STEM activities are unshut ended activities that engage your child’s marvel to learn through discovery using their creativity and problem-solving skills. For increasingly valuable information well-nigh the benefits of STEM Education trammels out 6 Benefits of STEM Education.
Dr. Jill and I wish you many increasingly memories with your grandchildren. We hope the “live simply” theme resonates with you this year and that you found some of the worriedness ideas in this blog series helpful.
If you missed the previous installments, or would like to refresh your memory on the included tips, please find them here: