One of our post popular posts on Sugar, Spice & Glitter is our 40 Mom-Daughter Date Ideas for Every Budget, and I’ve been itching to create a list of grandmother-granddaughter dates, too.
There is a special bond between grandparents and their grandchildren. They care for them as much as they did their own children and often, it can feel like they’re getting to live out the best parts of that parenting thing all over again. Less guilt and responsibility, and more perspective on just how quick childhoods can fly by (and how much you really need to soak them up while you still can).
Being a military child, I didn’t grow up around family members and as a result, I’ve really prioritized that for Ella. She has weekly “dates” with each set of grandparents and also gets a few hours of one-on-one time with my brother (to help add that positive male role model into her life).
Spending quality time with grandparents is great for kids forming secure bonds and learning how to interact with people with a variety of personalities and ages. There’s also research that suggests that children who regularly spend time with their grandparents are less likely to hold stereotypical beliefs and are more empathetic to a wide variety of people – qualities I think we all would love to foster in our children.
Also, having a better understanding of one’s family history (and the people who make up that history) is linked to a decrease in depression, and grandparent involvement is surprisingly a great indicator that kids will do better in school! Plus, what kid couldn’t use more people who love them unconditionally in their lives? (Although, loving blindly might be a better description for grandparents!)
While many of the activities in my original Mom & Daughter Dates post would be great for a grandmother and granddaughter, my mom has a very different personality than me. We have different interests and like doing different things with Ella, so I catered this list more to her liking (plus I wanted to offer as many new suggestions as I could). Be sure to check out both lists for a wide assortment of fun activities to do with kids – no matter your budget. (And who knows! Mom might like the grandmother-grandaughter list better, and grandma might like my “mom-daughter list” better. It’s all personal preference.)
Many of these activities would also be great for uncles/aunts and nieces/nephews, grandfathers and granddaughters, etc. Anyone who is looking for some creative ideas for quality time activities could benefit from these two posts – and please feel free to add your ideas and suggestions to the comments of this post.
So, without further delay, here are my mom & Ella’s favourite picks for 40 Grandmother-Granddaughter Dates for Every Budget.
Free Grandparent Activities
- Gardening
- Visiting a park
- Nature walk or hike
- Doll or bear tea party
- Nature crafts
- Baking – maybe a special family recipe? (Check out our giant assortment of kids’ recipes here.)
- Share special memories from your childhood – look through a photo album
- Sleepover party
- Teach a special skill
- A special craft to “keep them little”
Grandparent Activities under $10
- Swimming at the local pool or splash pad
- Hot chocolate at a local bakery
- Visit to the book store to pick out a special book (maybe one from the grandparent’s own childhood)
- Themed movie night – menu, crafts, and decor surrounding a special movie
- Teaching them a classic board or card game
- Bring them to one of your “stomping grounds” and show them off – church, golf club, favourite cafe, etc.
- Visit an art museum
- Spa night or home pedicures
- Get together to make a craft for mother’s day or father’s day
- Visit a local farm – there’s berry picking, apple orchards, cheese tastings, petting zoos, etc.
Grandparent Activities under $50
- A visit to the beach (this may be in another category for you, but for us it’s at least $15 in gas to the beach – plus there’s the obligatory ice cream afterwards)
- A night at the movies
- Attending a child-friendly theatre performance
- Sharing a favourite hobby (maybe setting them up with some starter materials)
- Special lunch date
- Bowling (I loathe bowling so this works out well for me!)
- Make a shadow box from a special event or to celebrate a birthday
- Local event – county fair, summer concerts
- Concert tickets to a children’s performance (my daughter has been treated to Sharon, Lois & Brahm, the Wiggles twice, and Fred Penner by her grandparents and now when she hears songs by those performers she is reminded of those special days)
- Explore a local town, go for a half-day road trip
Grandparent Activities under $100
- Membership to a local children’s museum
- Membership to a monthly craft or activity box, and doing it together
- Groupon vacation – sometimes you can get a great deal, my parents have been able to snag Great Wolf Lodge passes
- Theme park day
- Visit a zoo
- Research and donate to a charity in your grandchild’s name
- Or, sign your grandchild up for a continuous donation – like a “sponsor a child” program where they will have a pen pal and sustained relationship to charitable giving
- Water park day
- Special dinner and a movie night out
- Be tourists for a day – hit up all of the attractions your grandchild may have missed out on
What are your favourite grandparent-granddaughter date ideas? Be sure to pin this collection of Grandmother and Granddaughter Activities or send it to a loved one who may need some ideas!
For more awesome activities to do with kids, check out our Homemade Donut Bath Bombs (with instructional video) or our Kid-made Pizza Donuts (with instructional video made by my daughter).
Kelly says
May 25, 2016 at 2:24 pmSharing this one with the grandmas in my life. My boys love going on adventures with them and these would work great for grandsons too! #client
Kim says
June 15, 2017 at 12:35 amI love taking my three granddaughters to the less dangerous gem and mineral mines that I consider to be my favorite. Usually the ones with a incredible history and still signs of a railcart or anything else you can look at and then find on internet to show them what it use to look like when a busy active working mine. Then there are mines that you can schedule with your grandchildren a full day of digging in the tailings or paying more and getting right up into the good stuff the mine is known to produce. Royal Peacock mine in Northern Nevada is one I feel is very good to take children to. They can find things you’ll probably meet we in the tailings. I advise if you can to take one at a time. The experience is much more rewarding for both grandchild and grandmother when one on one.
Kim says
June 15, 2017 at 12:47 amI’m sorry my comment was posted before I had a chance to proof read it.
My comment was posted with error. Talking about taking younger children to still producing mines in USA I was speaking about the mind Royal Peacock in Nevada. It should have read. ” they will find things you will probably miss” taking through the mines tailings. Tailings are the scraps so to speak of the inside mining that’s pushes out of the mine. Sometimes you’ll find very good treasures out in the tailings. Things happen which cause miners to leave an area suddenly or things get dropped or walls collapse and to gain enterence its excavated and good gems and minerals get tossed out into a heap. Personally I can spend all day going through the tailings. I always come back with many priceless treasures.
Kim says
June 15, 2017 at 12:49 amOh my gosh. Mine not mind. I give up!!!!! I think my spell checker is against me tonight.
Jennifer Tammy says
September 21, 2017 at 12:56 pmThat’s amazing! I would have never thought to seek those out – not only is it a wonderful, one-on-one day with grandma, you get a beautiful treasure to remember the day.
Wendy olive says
July 30, 2018 at 1:01 pmMe and my man always used to go for picnics st different venues 1time i chose then another time Nan chose. Venues were just free places such as the canal, the local and sometimes a bit more further a field parks and sometimes just dressed the garden up as a magical fairy land or a scary forest. I loved it and defo would recommend it to young and older granddaughters and grans!!!!
Wendy olive says
July 30, 2018 at 1:03 pmMeant to say Nan and in for the first sentence.
Jennifer Tammy says
June 9, 2019 at 10:49 amI love that <3 I think grandparents have that benefit of knowing that the time spent is so much more important than the money spent.
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Alexa says
April 7, 2019 at 6:58 amNice & so much interesting idea. Smart thinking. Love this too. I’m pretty much close to my grandmother. Thanks.
Laura says
June 9, 2019 at 10:27 amMy husband and I have taken our Grandaughters to plays (Cinderella), painting classes, baseball games. We have decided to create memories instead of buying gifts. I make sure we all take a photo together then I frame it and give it to our Grandchild as a Keepsake of our special day together.
Jennifer Tammy says
June 9, 2019 at 10:51 amI love that. They will cherish those pictures and memories forever.
The only gift I still have from my grandma is a ring she gave me on graduation, but I have lots of wonderful memories of her taking me to playgrounds and water parks whenever we’d visit her. Those will always mean more than some fad gift – or even something substantial that children may lose or grow out of.