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Intergenerational Family Gatherings-Nine Tried and True Ideas to Keep Kids Engaged
All of a sudden, it seemed, the babies in our family were toddlers andkindergarteners. Our family parties were noisy with active kids who ended up intime outs. Our first cookout of the summer was in a couple weeks. Knowing thatsome of the best memories came from extensive planning, I hunkered down daysbefore our first summer backyard picnic to plan and get ready to have a wonderfultime with our grown children and our five grandchildren. The food part was easy, acook out is always fun. Now, what could I plan for the little ones to do to keep themhappy and engaged?I bought one inch paint brushes and spray bottles from the dollar store. When thekids arrived, I handed each child a spray bottle filled with water and a paint brushand sent them off to “paint” rocks, trees and anything else they wanted to paintwithin the confines of our fenced in backyard. First they squirted the item with onehand and then used the other hand to “paint” with their brush. They loved it. Wehad no arguing and plenty of time for the adults to mingle without runninginterference.The following is a list of happy and successful ideas for year long fun that keep young kids busy, happy and not so prone to be in time outs:Outside Fun:1-Trampoline-we bought one with a netting enclosure. The parents had as much funas the little ones bouncing around and chasing each other.2Hammock-a brightly colored large size Mayan hammock strung between two treeshas become a delight for all five grand kids, all five kids can fit it in while one ofthe dads pushes them. When he gets tired, they take turns pushing each otherresulting in much fun and laughter.3-Mural Painting-this idea came from the Family Fun website. I took a sheet andhung it on the clothesline. Then I put various colored diluted tempera paint in spraybottles. In their swim suits, the kids pointed their spray bottles at the sheet andpainted to their hearts content. When they were finished, we used the hose torinse it all off and they began again.4-Stepping stones-this was a big project but very worthwhile. Each member of ourfamily made their own stepping stone to put in my circle garden. My husband andsons mixed the cement in our wheel barrow then poured it into plastic plant plateholders for moulds. They brought things from home to individualize their stonesand added some of the things I had available. The littlest kids put their hand orfoot print in their stone. We even made one for the dog!
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