Things to Teach Your Grandchildren

Grandparents play an important role in the lives of their grandchildren as role models, mentors, caregivers, and friends.  The non-judgemental, unconditional acceptance of a grandparent creates a special bond that children treasure.  This special bond is fallow ground for teaching and learning.  There is no limitation to what grandparents can teach their grandchildren. 

Family History and Traditions

There are no better storytellers than experienced storytellers, and no better stories than the ones that involve your grandchildren’s parents, aunts and uncles.  You Grandchildren will love to hear about the rain dance ceremony their parents used to put on in the driveway whenever it got cloudy so they could splash in the puddles, or how you used to theme their Halloween costumes and their dad was always the odd man out: a fire hydrant when the other three were Dalmatians, or a peanut when they were Elephants. 

 How to Make Paper Dolls, Paper Airplanes and Home-Made Sailboats

 Children today grow up with non-stop media: television, computers and video games.  Many children have never played with paper dolls or learned how to make a paper airplane or create a sailboat out of wood, a straw and a handkerchief.  Grandparents can teach their grandchildren that yesterday’s toys are still great fun to play with today.

That When Somebody Wrongs You, It’s Best to Turn the Other Cheek

Grandparents can have a moral influence on their grandchildren.  When the grandchildren are facing a difficult situation, grandparents can guide them into reasoned choices and help them to grant forgiveness.

How to Bake Cookies and Do Other Fun Things

I taught my grandchildren how to bake cookies, and this was one of the biggest highlights of their little lives.  They cracked eggs and measured and stirred.  They rolled out dough and cut out stars, Santas, angels and reindeer.  Once the cookies were baked, they decorated them with sugars and frosting.  Yum!

To Respect People

We strive to instill the value of respect for self and for others.  My oldest grandson’s parents are divorced and remarried and we always demonstrate love and compassion to his father and stepmother, even when he is frustrated with them, and even though sometimes our daughter does not understand.  We explain that he is part of his mom and his dad and that we love all parts of him and that means all parts of them.  We also teach our grandchildren that acceptance begins within yourself, and to truly love and respect others, you must love yourself.

To Use Resources Wisely

This is a chance for you to show your grandchild that you can Go Green too.  We recycle, we use the backyard to teach about sustenance living by growing our own fruits, herbs and vegetables and incorporating them into our cooking.  We make games out of saving electricity and water. This is fun as well as a great life lesson.

To Save for a Rainy Day

We are very fortunate and are able to spoil our grandchildren.  We do on occasion give them gifts and money, but we always impress upon them saving for a rainy day and having financial goals.   We talk about what they want to save their money for and how they will achieve the amount of money needed for big ticket items… and we never accept “wait for Papa to buy it” as an answer.

That They Belong

Grandparents have a special chance to teach their grandchildren that they always have somewhere to go, and that they are an invaluable contributor to a greater group of people.  I keep a room in my house just for the grandkids, it is decorated with the things that are important to them.  My oldest grandson, who is twelve, has been known to tell his mom he has three houses: hers, his dad’s and ours. 

That They are Special

We all have bad days, disappointments, and times when we are frustrated.  But knowing there are people in the world who think you are amazing is what keeps us going when times are tough.  My grandson’s artwork was featured at a school art show.  When we came home, we had an auction to determine who got to keep that special picture, of course Papa outbid even mom for that honor.  We have hung the artwork in his office for all to see how very talented and special our grandson is.  Even years later he smiles at the memory of how badly everyone wanted that picture, and just because he drew it.

 

 

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Teach Your Grandchildren the Value of Money

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Some of my most enduring childhood memories involve my mother taking me to the Bank of Lincolnwood in Illinois. Even now, I can picture her giving the teller my father’s paycheck and getting cash back — cash that she’d then use to purchase our family’s groceries and other necessities. I also recall watching my parents pay bills together every month. Even as a young girl, I understood that my father went off to work every day to earn money for our household.

Chances are good that you, too, brought your children along with you to deposit paychecks at the bank and make cash withdrawals. Maybe they also watched you balance the family checkbook and pay monthly bills. Perhaps they noticed as you put a coveted item on layaway at a store, or heard you talk about saving up to pay for a coveted item. They probably paid attention, too, as you counted out cash to buy gas and groceries.

But in this age of ATMs, credit cards, and direct deposit, your grandchild could be forgiven for not having a clue about cold, hard cash — where it comes from, and what it’s used for. In today’s online-banking society, there are simply fewer tangible, visual connections between kids and cash — and therefore fewer opportunities to teach them about money.

As a grandparent, you can play an active role in helping your grandchild make those connections. Here are a few ways to start:

Talk About Money

With your child’s blessing, of course, you can help your grandchild learn about money simply by discussing it. Talk about how Mommy and Daddy go to work each day to earn money for the family, or explain how you saved part of your paycheck when you worked in order to have money to live on in retirement. Keep the message age-appropriate, but help your grandchild understand that money is something you earn and use to live on.

Start a Habit of Saving

Even young kids can get into the habit of saving, and watching their nickels and dimes (or, when they’re older, dollars) add up. This can give any child a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Give young grandchildren a piggy bank as a gift and a little change to get them started, or help older kids start a money-market savings account at a bank. Search online with them to find the bank that offers the best interest rate — and explain to them what that means.

Take Financial Field Trips

The next time you need to deposit a check or get cash, skip the ATM and bring your grandchild with you to visit the teller. She might be amazed to discover that most banks are actual brick-and-mortar structures! This gives you an opportunity to teach your grandchild that you have to put money into your account in order to get money out. Of course, that lesson can apply at the ATM, too. Make sure your grandchildren understand that the nice little machine doesn’t simply spit out limitless numbers of $20 bills.

Or consider visiting these educational destinations as financial field trips. In New York City you can witness the bustle of Wall Street and visit the Museum of American Finance; in Philadelphia or Denver, you can take free tours of the United States Mint and watch coins being produced.

Give Money-Smart Gifts

You might already be giving your grandchildren gifts of money, but you can also give them the gift of a financial education. Consider getting young grandchildren a book about money. Search Amazon.com books under “children’s books, money” for a list of available titles, including Nancy Loewen’s Save, Spend, or Donate? A Book about Managing Money (Picture Window Books, 2005) or Diane Mayr’s The Everything Kids’ Money Book: From Saving to Spending to Investing – Learn All About Money! (Adams Media Corporation, 2002).

If your grandchildren are older, consider giving them a consultation with a financial planner. I have clients who bring their young kids in and we briefly discuss stocks, bonds, and mutual funds.

Use Cash

If you do get money from the bank or an ATM with your grandchildren in tow, make sure they see you use it — at the McDonald’s drive-thru, toy store, or gas station. Show your grandchild how much cash you had, how much what you’re buying costs, and the change with which you’re left after purchasing the item.

Kids need to know the value of money, how it’s earned, and what it’s used for. By exposing them to actual currency you can help impart these lessons. So go ahead, show your grandchildren the money: You can give them a lasting gift without actually spending a dime.

Bambi Holzer, contributor at grandparents.com

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