grandparents day Archives - Early Learning Childhood Education

25/07/201727/07/2017

Strong bonds for strong health

Children love their mummies and daddies, there’s no doubt about it. The love and support of the adults who care for children most is vital to their lives and developmental journeys.

However, it’s important for children to have other relationships in their lives as well. Grandparents often play a wonderful, supportive role in children’s lives – and it’s a relationship that can be very special.

Children benefit from all healthy family relationships, and in the case of grandparents the relationship is mutually beneficial.

Health benefits of grandparent relationships

Facilitating positive relationships for children with their grandparents can build children’s resilience, create closer family bonds and improve their overall wellbeing.

For grandparents, the benefits are pretty incredible too. In fact, a 2016 study found that grandparents who look after their grandchildren regularly lived for around five years longer than non-caregiving grandparents! Supporting grandparent relationships is essential.

Creating strong bonds between grandparents and grandchildren

Sometimes these relationships just blossom, while other times grandparents may need some guidance and support from parents to find the sort of grandparent role they are comfortable with.

Here are some tips to help create strong bonds for grandparents and grandchildren:

-Encourage them to spend time together

-Support the relationship by finding shared interests they can enjoy together e.g. gardening, reading or music

-Use technology to build connections if distance is an issue

-Involve them in children’s lives and education, especially through events like Grandparents Day

Grandparents and Special Friends Day

Having an opportunity like Grandparents and Special Friends Day means children get a chance to share their learning environment, artwork, favourite books and their friends with special grown ups in their lives.

We are mindful of the fact that each family has a unique relationship with grandparent and some may not have grandparents in their lives. That’s why we never make this just an opportunity for grandparents – all special relationships children may have with family friends or aunties and uncles should be celebrated!

Bonkers Beat Music Kinder in Aspendale hosted our yearly Grandparents and Special Friends Day this week – take a look here!

One look at these happy faces shows just how important and enjoyable children’s relationships with special adults in their lives really are.

09/07/201516/07/2015

The Important Role of Grandparents

There can never be too many special people dedicated to being a part of a child’s life, and in many families grandparents play an important role.

Just as we celebrate mums and dads, we believe that grandparents and other important adults in children’s lives should be invited to have some level of involvement in their education, even if it is just a few days in the year where they can pop in to see where the children spend some of their time. Best of all, we love to see the joy it brings children to share their learning environment with other people in their lives.

At Bonkers Beat we always find that a great time to celebrate Grandparents Day is somewhere between Mother’s Day in May and Father’s Day in September.

We also believe it beneficial to name the day ‘Grandparents and a Special Friend Day’, so as to ensure we are inclusive of all children and families. As we all are likely aware, families come in all different shapes and sizes, and family dynamics and relationships can vary greatly. This gives families the opportunity to celebrate grandparents if they wish or celebrating someone else special in children’s lives if it’s more appropriate for them.

We revisited our Grandparents Day brainstorming from last year to provide you with some fun ideas for your celebrations:

– Create an ‘I Love You because…’ card and children can offer a special reason
– Create a photo frame as a gift
– Create a collage together of things that remind them of their relationship
– Sing some special songs together
– Play instruments together in a music session
– All children act out a favourite book for the grandparents/special friends
– Yoga and wellbeing activities with grandparents/special friends
– Grandparents/special friends may enjoy sharing a snack with the children
– Children might like to give grandparents/special friends a tour of their room

Click here to find some great printables and other ideas for your Grandparents and a Special Friend Day.

As always, we would love you to share your tips and tricks for the perfect Grandparents and a Special Friend Day with us on Facebook.

14/07/201414/07/2014

Grandparents & Special Friends Day Celebrations

With Mothers Day in May and Fathers Day in September, at Bonkers Beat we have always found July to be the perfect time to host Grandparents Day.

The relationship between grandparents and their grandchildren can be varied – some are very close and play a huge role in children’s every day lives, while others may not be as close and perhaps even live quite far away or are no longer with us. Whatever the case may be, the grandparent role is very important in children’s lives and where a close grandparent is not be in the picture, children may have a ‘special person’ who they look to outside of their home such as an uncle, aunt or perhaps a close friend of their parents.

To quote the Raising Children website: ‘One of the great things about becoming a grandparent is loving and caring for your grandchild without being responsible for him in the same way his parents are’. And it’s easy to imagine what a special relationship can flourish from this bond with a child!

Research has shown that there are mental health benefits to maintaining a good relationship with grandparents as children get older, with both parties less likely to suffer from depression as a result of their bond. In fact, the same researchers highlighted the benefits of extended family for children, saying that these relationships are more important today than ever before.

Grandparents & Special Friends Day within centres can be a fantastic way of celebrating these support networks for children by giving them the opportunity to show their love and appreciation. Here are some suggestions and ideas from Bonkers Beat if you’re brainstorming activities:

-Create an ‘I Love You because…’ card and children can offer a special reason
-Create a photo frame as a gift
-Create a collage together of things that remind them of their relationship
-Sing some special songs together
-Play instruments together in a music session
-All children act out a favourite book for the grandparents/special friends
-Yoga and wellbeing activities with grandparents/special friends
-Grandparents/special friends may enjoy sharing a snack with the children
-Children might like to give grandparents/special friends a tour of their room

Here’s a link for you to find some great printables and other ideas for your Grandparents & Special Friends Day: http://activityvillage.co.uk/grandparents-day
Do you have some amazing ideas for Grandparents & Special Friends Day? Share them with us on the Bonkers Beat Music & Wellbeing Facebook page or comment here!