Classroom Ideas for Grandparents Day
Classroom ideas for National Grandparents Day can help foster love and respect for senior citizens. Mrs. Marian McQuade, grandmother of 40 grandchildren and advocate for senior citizens, provided the driving force for the proclamation of Grandparents Day in 1973 in West Virginia. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation for National Grandparents Day. According to the United States Census Bureau, approximately 7 million children live in a household with a grandparent present.
Other People Are Reading
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First-Hand Knowledge
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Teachers can invite a senior volunteer who is comfortable with the class's age group and abilities. A volunteer with public speaking skills can demonstrate a craft or tell stories with interaction with young listeners. A volunteer who is an immigrant can tell the class about life for children and grandparents in the home country.
Grandparents' Social
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The class can invite their grandparents to the class for an afternoon social. A list of words meaning grandmother and grandfather in other languages can hang as a banner. Grandparents who speak another language can help their students with their pronunciation. Both generations can work together to solve word searches and puzzles. Children can craft cards and include a packaged tea bag for their guests. If the child has no grandparents, the child can offer the card to an adoptive grandparent in the class or to a senior citizen friend.
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Songs and Storytelling
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Classroom activities can include singing songs or hearing stories that celebrate family life in times past. For example, the song "Grandma's Feather Bed" tells of a man's lively recollections as a young boy visiting his grandmother's farmhouse. Students can also learn popular songs from an earlier era and sing them to their senior classroom guests.
Adopt a Grandparent
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Board games can help engage both generations. If a local retirement home or community center with a seniors program welcomes student visitors, the students can bring activities that need a senior buddy. For example, children and seniors can pair off or form groups to create a short story or picture together. At bingo games, the students can take turns calling the numbers and giving small prizes to their senior friends.
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References
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- Photo Credit Game image by Aliaksandr Zabudzko from Fotolia.com puzzle. number puzzle. game image by L. Shat from Fotolia.com
