Low Tech Fun at Grandma and Grandpa’s House

How to Beat Your Grandkids’ Digital Devices – 

We live in a high-tech age where nearly everyone carries a handheld computer in their pocket. These devices can turn people into “smartphone zombies” and that includes your grandchildren. All of this is tough for analog grandparents to understand. What on that tiny screen could possibly be so amazing or interesting?

While it may appear that our kids are being led away by the pied piper of technology, this isn’t really the case at all. Any kid on earth would rather be playing outside or creating something than starting into a smartphone screen. So, what can a grandparent do to beat the digital monster and get kids away from that mobile device?

The best thing you can do is to leverage your grandchildren’s natural imagination, creativity and sense of fun. Provide for them something to do that’s more interesting and fun than anything on that tiny screen. Do this, and they won’t even miss their digital devices while they’re visiting your house.

Go Outside

Especially for younger kids, a trip to play outside is far more interesting than anything a mobile device has to offer. Take the kids out for a walk, hit up a local park, or take the bicycle for a spin. You can make any kind of outing or errand fun.

Get Physical

Plan some activities to get your grandkids moving. If you do this from early in their lives, they’ll grow up with an understanding of the inherent fun of physical activity. This will also help to combat the negative health effects of sedentary smartphone usage later on.

Make Something

Kids are naturally creative. Whether it’s a castle built of Legos or a birthday cake for an imaginary friend, kids love to make things. Plan a project for your grandkids and put them in charge of it. Make it a fun collaboration where grandma or grandpa just helps with the tough parts.

Meet Some Animals

Arrange an encounter with some cuddly or interesting animals. Real-life animals will always be more interesting than animal characters on a mobile app. If you don’t have pets, take the grandkids to a pet store, nearby farm or zoo. Time spent with animals is educational and amazing for kids.

Go Somewhere

When the grandkids visit, scour your local area for fun activities you can do with them. There are bound to be fun and cheap things to do that your grandchildren will love. Create a tentative schedule and keep them busy.

Old Fashioned Offline Games

Video games are cool, but the classics never fall out of favor. Games like Uno, Monopoly and Jenga are as fun for kids today as they were in generations past. Stock your house with board games, playing cards and other fun games to play.

Get Musical

Sing songs or provide the kids with musical instruments. This is a great way to engage their natural creativity and imagination, and it could spark a lifelong interest in music.

Read Books

Like the offline games mentioned above, books never fall out of favor. Every little kid loves having a book read to them. Keep plenty of interesting books around and read often to the kids.

Explore

Find some place nearby to explore, whether it’s a part of the house the kids don’t visit often or the woods at the end of the street. Turn the exploration into an adventure and let your grandchild’s imagination run wild.

Sound exhausting? Well, that’s the downside of beating the digital monster. But it’s what you have to do if you want to provide non-smartphone fun. When you’re pooped after an afternoon of running around, then it’s okay to pass them the smartphone and let them play while grandma or grandpa rests!