https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Wed, 06 May 2026 13:58:14 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/entertaining-olderish-kids-on-grandparent-visits#post-2925838 Sat, 18 Dec 2021 20:04:57 +0000 meadow 2925838@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Carrot: liberty science center</p> <p>By the end of summer they required proof of vax (I assume they still do)....so this could be a safer indoor activity? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/entertaining-olderish-kids-on-grandparent-visits#post-2925835 Fri, 17 Dec 2021 12:06:47 +0000 Mrs. Carrot 2925835@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@ElbieKay: ooh this looks fun, thank you for the tip! I'm honestly not sure now how much we'll be venturing out with cases going up again *sigh* but I'm adding this to the list! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/entertaining-olderish-kids-on-grandparent-visits#post-2925832 Fri, 17 Dec 2021 11:51:37 +0000 ElbieKay 2925832@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Any projects you can do in the apartment? Maybe cooking or baking. Combine it with a trip to get groceries. My kids barely go to stores bc of COVID, so it is sadly fun to take my newly vaccinated second grader to Whole Foods.</p> <p>Also, I have never been there, but there is a place in northern NJ called Genius Gems. It's basically a STEM center focused on magnatiles. I've heard great things about it. The reason I have not gone is that my twins were 1.5 and super destructive -- as in, routinely destroying their big brother's magnatile creations -- before COVID hit. And I have been avoiding indoor places since then. Also it's pretty expensive for a family of five, but it's reasonable for a one child and one adult.</p> <p><a href="https://geniusgems.com/" rel="nofollow">https://geniusgems.com/</a> </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/entertaining-olderish-kids-on-grandparent-visits#post-2925831 Fri, 17 Dec 2021 11:41:18 +0000 Mrs. Carrot 2925831@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@wrkbrk: for sure. My kid is a bit weird in this regard - she's not a big TV watcher - but she and my dad bonded over nature documentaries over the summer so I imagine lots of that on deck for us. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/entertaining-olderish-kids-on-grandparent-visits#post-2925830 Fri, 17 Dec 2021 11:39:31 +0000 wrkbrk 2925830@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Carrot: Right? It’s their break too! I remind myself that my son (6) needs downtime from our normal busy schedules just like I do. And if that’s extra blippi (shudder) for the two weeks before school starts again, so be it. 🤣 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/entertaining-olderish-kids-on-grandparent-visits#post-2925829 Fri, 17 Dec 2021 11:37:05 +0000 Mrs. Carrot 2925829@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@wrkbrk: haha I have zero guilt over TV and her grandparents have cable, which we don't, so definitely lots of opportunities for that! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/entertaining-olderish-kids-on-grandparent-visits#post-2925828 Fri, 17 Dec 2021 11:28:34 +0000 wrkbrk 2925828@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Carrot: Has anyone said TV?!<br /> Girl, this is the time to embrace all the available tools without guilt!!!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/entertaining-olderish-kids-on-grandparent-visits#post-2925662 Thu, 02 Dec 2021 20:34:46 +0000 Mrs. Carrot 2925662@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@HappyBaker: This is cool, thank you! I definitely should look into clay - they just did a unit in art class making things out of clay and she loved it. Outschool may not work- my parents have awful internet connectivity - but all these ideas are amazing, thank you! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/entertaining-olderish-kids-on-grandparent-visits#post-2925661 Thu, 02 Dec 2021 20:33:18 +0000 Mrs. Carrot 2925661@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@erinbaderin: love this idea! She loves puzzles so that was definitely on my list to bring. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/entertaining-olderish-kids-on-grandparent-visits#post-2925660 Thu, 02 Dec 2021 19:28:32 +0000 HappyBaker 2925660@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ooh one more idea that my daughter got really into recently was genealogy - both making a family tree and doing research on Ancestry.com and also interviewing family members and getting stories from them, that could be a fun thing to do together in person. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/entertaining-olderish-kids-on-grandparent-visits#post-2925659 Thu, 02 Dec 2021 19:26:29 +0000 HappyBaker 2925659@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Is she into American Girl dolls at all? We have a couple of these books and while they are crafting they are more assembling things out of pieces included in the book or found around the house:<br /> Doll School: Design a Day of Learning and Play! <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/1683371267/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_AFT7Z9TA5G6Y35GYV7R5" rel="nofollow">https://www.amazon.com/dp/1683371267/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_AFT7Z9TA5G6Y35GYV7R5</a></p> <p>I feel like Monopoly is a great grandparent/downtime game, as I can never finish a game in regular life. My 6 and 9 year old favorite version is called House Divided, it’s about buying states go get votes for an election. We also love the game Ticket to Ride and I could see grandparents enjoying that. </p> <p>Also a craft but kind of unique - my 9 year old got a great set of polymer clay and a book with ideas of how to make different animals and characters, she could spend hours working on tiny clay projects and it’s small to bring with!</p> <p>Or what about checking out Outschool for some kind of fun class or something she’d be interested in? Just to break up the time. We recently took a great ASL class that both my daughter and I looked forward too! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/entertaining-olderish-kids-on-grandparent-visits#post-2925656 Thu, 02 Dec 2021 17:05:49 +0000 erinbaderin 2925656@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Carrot: This has the building aspect but not the imagination - what about a 3D puzzle? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/entertaining-olderish-kids-on-grandparent-visits#post-2925655 Thu, 02 Dec 2021 16:46:42 +0000 MamaCate 2925655@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Carrot: we have a marginally similar situation with extended travel to relatives who are just less active than we are. In addition to the constructive advice here, I lean into more permissive screen time approaches (these relatives used to have Netflix when we didn’t so that was exciting) for both shows and app based games, and candy/treats. Plus low low low expectations. My good friend whose kids are much older encouraged me to think of travel to visit family not as a “vacation” but rather as a “tour of duty” and that reframe has been invaluable. Good luck!!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/entertaining-olderish-kids-on-grandparent-visits#post-2925649 Thu, 02 Dec 2021 14:58:19 +0000 Mrs. Carrot 2925649@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@peaches1038: she is not a big crafter/art kid, unless it's building something in 3D from paper, popsicle sticks and tape LOL Building is her big thing or creating new things from scratch, like making up her own board games. That's part of what makes it a bit hard to figure out how to keep her engaged - here she'll have some on-off idea and I can go rustle up some cardboard or something in the back yard and she's busy for hours, but the grandparents just don't have the space or materials for the kind of play she runs with. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/entertaining-olderish-kids-on-grandparent-visits#post-2925648 Thu, 02 Dec 2021 14:54:36 +0000 Mrs. Carrot 2925648@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@yerpie110 @anagram my parents are in River Edge (walking distance to Van Saun, in fact) and my in-laws are in Union so we'll be in those spots. My daughter loves being outdoors so I'm looking for hiking spots and ideally outdoor activities. She'll be fully vaxxed by then so I'm going to look into indoor things too (like the Lego one, she'd love that!) but trying to avoid crowded spots where possible. Thank you for the rec's! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/entertaining-olderish-kids-on-grandparent-visits#post-2925645 Thu, 02 Dec 2021 14:27:13 +0000 Anagram 2925645@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Mrs. Carrot: Where in Northern NJ? At the American Dream mall, there's a Lego Playcenter, a small aquarium,, an ice skating rink, indoor amusement park, indoor waterpark.</p> <p>There's also Van Saun park (usually they have a small winter village thing in winter), there's Turtleback Zoo, you can drive to Bear Mountain (there's an outdoor ice rink in winter). There are multiple indoor trampoline type places (I'm assuming she's vaccinated--mask wearing in indoors suburban NJ is iffy--maybe 50/50. It's changed dramatically the last 6 moths. There's a new CAMP store in the Garden State Plaza mall. Lot of small places that do pottery painting, or group painting (maybe a private night of group painting with both sides of the family?). You might also find some winter break camps she'd like. There are also some farms with winter activities, or drive through christmas lights attractions. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/entertaining-olderish-kids-on-grandparent-visits#post-2925639 Thu, 02 Dec 2021 13:24:07 +0000 peaches1038 2925639@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My son, also an only child, does great with solo games, like rush hour jr. and smart farmer. Does your daughter like perler beads? </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/entertaining-olderish-kids-on-grandparent-visits#post-2925638 Thu, 02 Dec 2021 13:14:15 +0000 yerpie110 2925638@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I think the previous posters gave great ideas on what you can do at home. I live in Northern NJ and though I'm not exactly sure where you will be, here are some popular outings in the area:</p> <p>1. Winter Wonderland at Van Saun:<br /> <a href="https://www.bergencountywinterwonderland.com/" rel="nofollow">https://www.bergencountywinterwonderland.com/</a><br /> Requires tickets - ice skating, carousel, train ride, zoo, food trucks, etc.</p> <p>2. Bergen County Zoo Light show:<br /> <a href="http://www.friendsofbergencountyzoo.org/holidaylights.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.friendsofbergencountyzoo.org/holidaylights.html</a><br /> Same location as above, but different ticketed event</p> <p>3. American Dream<br /> <a href="https://americandream.com/" rel="nofollow">https://americandream.com/</a><br /> Not sure how you feel about these activities as they are all indoor, but there is so much at this mall - ice skating, water park, amusement park, mini golf, etc.</p> <p>4. Abma's farm:<br /> <a href="https://www.abmasfarm.com/" rel="nofollow">https://www.abmasfarm.com/</a><br /> Best petting zoo in the area, often has other ticketed events on the weekends as well</p> <p>5. Demarest farms:<br /> <a href="https://demarestfarms.com/" rel="nofollow">https://demarestfarms.com/</a><br /> Their light show is very popular</p> <p>6. South Mountain Fairy Trail Hike<br /> Doesn't have a website, but here is some info about it:<br /> <a href="https://www.njfamily.com/go-for-a-fairy-walk-in-nj/" rel="nofollow">https://www.njfamily.com/go-for-a-fairy-walk-in-nj/</a><br /> Not technically northern NJ, but very popular with kids</p> <p>7. Bear mountain:<br /> <a href="https://parks.ny.gov/parks/bearmountain/" rel="nofollow">https://parks.ny.gov/parks/bearmountain/</a><br /> Popular hiking trail, also has ice skating and a zoo I believe (technically in NY but close by)</p> <p>8. Skylands Christmas Light Show and Village:<br /> <a href="https://skylandsstadium.com/" rel="nofollow">https://skylandsstadium.com/</a><br /> About an hour from northern NJ</p> <p>9. Turtle Back Zoo:<br /> <a href="https://turtlebackzoo.com/discover/holiday-light-spectuacular/" rel="nofollow">https://turtlebackzoo.com/discover/holiday-light-spectuacular/</a><br /> Again, not in Northern NJ, but a free holiday light show at probably the best zoo in NJ</p> <p>10. NYC<br /> Not sure if you want to trek there but NYC has so much during this time as well - Bronx zoo, train show at Bronx Botanical Garden, Bryant Park Holiday Shops, Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, etc.</p> <p>If you need other ideas or have specific areas of interest, feel free to let me know! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/entertaining-olderish-kids-on-grandparent-visits#post-2925632 Thu, 02 Dec 2021 12:11:39 +0000 karenbme 2925632@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I spent a lot of time with my grandparents in the late elementary time frame (they were our summer childcare), not the same as bringing kids on a visit but it definitely got boring to be dropped off at my grandparents house a few towns away every day. Here are some things that helped:</p> <p>Craft kits were great, my Nana was into making pressed flowers and we did lots of construction paper crafts. She has arthritis in hands so we had the “responsibility” to cut the paper, which felt very big and important at the time. Coloring and sticker books were also big.</p> <p>Idk if your family has or is into puzzles but I did a lot of big puzzles with my grandpa—not little kid ones but actual grown up ones, which again was novel at first and felt special.</p> <p>They had a set of encyclopedias, and we would look for funny words together, which was a great game that could go on longer than you think and could work with a dictionary, too. Someone would say a category and we would each find something we thought was cool or amusing and read the entry to everyone else. A lot of the time it was just a funny word, but it made us laugh.</p> <p>We played LOTS of card games—Uno was a particular favorite, but also things like crazy eights, rummy, and a game called golf that I don’t know if anyone else anywhere knows how to play.</p> <p>My grandparents had a keyboard, which was another thing we didn’t have at home, and was fun to play with and took headphones, which made a huge difference. If your family doesn’t have any musical instruments a tablet app for music could do the same things.</p> <p>Baking together and decorating cakes and cookies was also a lot of fun, but got very messy, so depends on how your family would feel about that.</p> <p>You might also see if neighbors will have visiting kids, too, and arrange a play date. My grandparents’ next door neighbor had a granddaughter a year younger than me who I used to play with when she visited.</p> <p>I guess my best advice is to think about any novel things that your parents of in laws have that are kid safe and use those to your advantage. Even my Nana’s arthritis grasper was a cool toy that entertained me as a kid. 😂 Also anything that they can “get away with” or ways you can spin limitations as new responsibilities that aren’t typical for your household will feel special and turn negatives into positives. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/entertaining-olderish-kids-on-grandparent-visits#post-2925630 Thu, 02 Dec 2021 10:58:34 +0000 catgirl 2925630@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My daughter is almost 7 and also an only child - we deal with this with one set of her grandparents. Some things we have found that help:<br /> try to find some new card/board games that appeal kids and adults - my in laws have a hard time with true kid games, they lose interest. Things like sequence, blokus, rummikub, qwixx, and uno are fun at all ages. </p> <p>Cooking and baking can be fun, but might be hard if people can't stand in kitchen. Maybe some cookie decorating kits? A gingerbread house? Or decorating cake pops? All can be done while sitting at a table. </p> <p>If your daughter likes eye spy books those can be fun to sit and do with someone. </p> <p>Maybe ship some craft kits ahead of time?</p> <p>Movie nights - pick a theme that fits the movie and your daughter can make things like tickets, menus, etc. It will fill some time to prep and then everyone watches the movie together. </p> <p>You can check out facebook marketplace in the area or look for a consignment store... would make it easy to pick up some random magnatiles, legos, or similar things without having to lug them with you. </p> <p>Does she, or do you, have a kindle? You could load it up with kids books or be ready to check digital books out from the library. </p> <p>I would just prioitize getting her out and about at least a bit each day, even if without the grandparents, so she gets some energy out. We live closer to my in laws now so we don't have to fill big trips anymore - but just remember it's okay for her to be bored at times. Just make sure she has options for things to do both with others and by herself, and sometimes let her figure it out. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/entertaining-olderish-kids-on-grandparent-visits#post-2925629 Thu, 02 Dec 2021 10:31:09 +0000 Mrs. Carrot 2925629@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I'm deeply overthinking this and would love some input :)</p> <p>My daughter is 8, an only child (so no built-in playmates), and we are planning a longer than typical trip to visit her grandparents the week after Christmas/into New Year. It's been 2 years since we've traveled and the way she plays and spends time has changed quite a bit and I'm concerned that she's going to get easily bored. </p> <p>Some context - my parents, where my daughter and I will stay, live in a one-bedroom apartment. My mom will absolutely buy her anything she wants to have and has already asked many times, but there's limited room AND my kid really isn't into toys. At home she plays with construction materials (magnatiles, bristle blocks, and Lego sets that she built over the years and now re-arranges into various scenes). I can bring some of those things with me from home but obviously not much. </p> <p>I am planning to find some outdoor activities for us (hikes, maybe a zoo or some light walks), and bring some board games, books and some toys with me, but I'm still anxious that she won't have much to get into. My mom is a couple months post knee surgery and my in-laws are almost entirely immobile, so outings with them are going to be limited. </p> <p>Anything I'm missing or anything that worked well for you in this type of situation? Also anyone in northern NJ, I'd love ideas for outings! </p>