The Benefits of One-on-One Time with Grandkids

I‘m fortunate to spend a lot of time with my grandkids. We live two blocks away, so there are lots of opportunities for visits. We have weekly family dinners, often go on evening walks together, and the grandkids spend Saturday nights with us. Even with all that family time, I love spending one-on-one time with each grandchild. There are five reasons I think it’s essential to spend one-on-one time with each grandchild.

1. Listen

With one child at a time, they talk more freely, and I can focus all my attention on what they’re saying. I don’t just hear them, I truly listen. My grandson loves to talk about science and will tell me all kinds of interesting information when he isn’t interrupted. I think most of what he tells me is accurate, but it doesn’t really matter to me. It’s the chance for him to tell me what’s important to him. If you listen to the small things, they are more likely to talk about the big things when the time comes. A quote I love is from David W. Augsburger, “Being heard is so close to being loved, they are almost indistinguishable.”

2. Interests

My grandkids are three years apart, but even if they were the same age, they would most likely have different interests. My grandson loves to go to the Air and Space Museum, the Planetarium, and White River Fish Market. My granddaughter likes to go to the park, Philbrook, and eat tuna fish sandwiches at Evie’s Café in the Painted Tree Boutique. At home, Cal likes to watch movies, jump on the trampoline, and ride his scooter in our circular driveway. Sylvia loves to do arts and crafts, baking projects, and experiments.

3. Developmental differences

Cal has already done many of the things Sylvia wants to do. When he was her age, we did lots of science experiments together, and she was too young to participate. Now that she’s five, we’re doing many of the same things again when we have one-on-one time together. She loves science experiments; they’re new and exciting to her, whereas they would be old news and boring to him.

4. Undivided attention

Unless they are an only child, there is always sharing of time, energy, and attention. When I am alone with them, they get the chance to be the superstar and have everything revolve around them. It’s not healthy to think the world revolves around you all the time, but it’s nice to occasionally experience it.

5. My energy

For purely selfish reasons, I love spending individual time with each grandchild. It takes a lot less energy to be with one child. Although my grandkids get along well for the most part, there are always a few sibling skirmishes to referee, and that’s not my favorite thing to do. I enjoy getting to know each child on a deeper level through time spent together.

I only have two grandchildren, so it’s much easier to spend one-on-one time with them than if I had ten grandkids. If you have more grandkids, it might happen less frequently with each child, but it’s still worthwhile to make it happen. The grandkids feel special, and it helps to form a strong connection with them. My five-year-old granddaughter aspires to be a singer and songwriter. After several hours of time alone with me this past weekend, Sylvia wrote and sang a song for me about how much she loves spending time with me and how much she loves me. I was honored and touched by her tribute. That one-on-one time seems to be working!

Sylvia loves the baking soda volcano experiment!

Sylvia’s Favorite Baking Soda Volcano Experiment

You will need:

• A tray for overflow. I use a cookie sheet.
• Baking soda
• Dishwashing Soap
• Vinegar
• Food Coloring
• Clear container

1. Put ¼ cup of baking soda in a clear container sitting on a tray.
2. Add food coloring to baking soda. You only need a few drops.
3. Add a few drops of liquid dishwashing soap for more dramatic bubbles.
4. In a separate container, put in ½ cup of vinegar.
5. If you want a more vibrant color and more bubbles, put a few drops of food coloring and liquid dishwashing soap to vinegar.
6. Slowly add the vinegar mixture to the baking soda and watch the eruption!
7. You can add a little more vinegar once the eruption slows down.

Science behind the Volcano

Baking soda reacts with vinegar to produce carbon dioxide gas and water, creating fizzing and bubbling that resembles lava. The dish soap traps the gas, forming foam. The food color simply makes it look more vivid, and kids love to add their favorite color.