GC need amusing!

I've noticed that my 4 1/2 year old grandson amuses himself beautifully when he's at home. In his little playroom chatting away to himself playing happily with his stuff.

A totally different story when he's at ours! I'm sure that's why he loves his days with us. Quite exhausting it is too ..... But the childcare lark will be over in a few weeks so am happy to remain a willing slave! Bless him x

What happened to afternoon naps for kids, I have a nap now and they are still going strong.

I find my 3 and a half yr old DGS quite responsive when he asks me to play with him or get something for him and I'm busy right at that moment. I always tell him what I need to do such as get the washing hung out or peel the potatoes and that I'll come as soon as I've finished. He always says 'okay' then I make absolutely sure I do go and play with him when I've finished the immediate chore so he can trust me that I do as I say I will. I love playing with him so I'm happy to finish quickly so I can spend time with him

Changed days. I remember my mother telling us we would make our fairly young grandmother miserable and tired playing in the house and demanding her attention. She had brought up 9 and needed to talk with her alone mostly. It made sense to us and we were just as happy playing in the garden or amusing ourselves with some nice treats from our gran. The thought of her playing would have seemed very odd and worrying somehow.

carolinebermuda "writing her off " ....because she's being a teenager and wants to flop about communicating with friends???? Or because she actually does what she is asked re helping with things? All because she doesn't take the initiative??? Dear me!!

Just realised you didn't say she was a teenager ...but pre teens are pretty much the same ...Im just not sure why not taking the initiative is worth writing her off for ...!

My DGD is happy to go in my garden and climb a tree just like I did at her age.

Do you think that maybe modern technology has lead to children not being so capable of amusing themselves? After all, so much is now laid on for them instead of having to use their imaginations.
When we were young we could disappear for quite a while playing out on the pavement, or round the corner etc but this is discouraged due to quite justified fears that the world is not such a safe place anymore. There we are more thrown together. However, the complaint, "We're bored," is nothing new.

It does seem that whenever there is a gap in activity with adults involved, then on goes the TV or some other electronic device. Maybe that is the crux of it all - there is always something there to play on. Does it matter? - maybe it is no different from the games we all played - it is just delivered in a different way.

When with my young granddaughter at her house or mine, she's got my undivided attention. She doesn't get that when her mum is sorting the washing or cleaning the loo! Being gran us different from being mum

Society in general has caused expectations in the young to be too high these days. Technology whilst extremely useful if used in the right way, has a lot to answer for.

As a recently retired SENCo, this is something I have seen. In some kinds of schools ( yes, I am from the independent sector!) we find that some children never have 'down time' to just be children and learn how to amuse themselves. They have all the toys but no time to just chill out and play with them themselves.
They are children not mini adults!

Children love adults playing with them.

When we looked after our GC one day a week before school age we noticed that being at nursery the rest of the week meant they expected to be entertained we did our best to help them to play on their own for a while and also have a quiet afternoon rest.

My two children were good at entertaining themselves although DH and I played with them a lot and took them out a lot and other children and parents came round regularly. GD2 who is six loves playing board games with DH but she will also entertain herself with Duplo, Lego and the wooden building blocks. Even when small she would quietly sit and look at a book on her own. When she comes with or without family she usually gets something out to do and makes herself at home. We never resort to the TV nor did my own children. It never goes on when GD is here (it's so ancient she probably thinks it doesn't work!).

I love playing with my grandchildren, I think it's an honour to be included in their games. Must admit to the TV and iPad as saviours though when I need a bit of peace. They do cuddle up to me during these times so it's not as if I get anything done! Any jobs that must be done, are shared and we make a game out of it (washing-up, baking, laundry, bed making, dusting, etc). We made a den in the log/coal store recently and they wanted to camp out there overnight, I tactfully explained that was not a good idea!

The big difference with our family is that when my two were children we lived in the country and they could amuse themselves for days on end. My son had his bike and would disappear all day and my daughter shared our neighbour's ponies. The grandchildren are all living in town with no gardens and generally have to be taken out to do things.

My children played all day with friends, but we were very fortunate to have a playing field directly adjacent to our garden. They could play and I could see them.
My son, as a toddler spent literally hours playing his sandpit with his toy tractors and from about age four would ride his little second hand bike round and round the garden all day.

Involving children in the chores is great - my DC did. But I find that my GC sometimes just refuse when I ask them to help with something. I do deal with it firmly as far as is possible; but they see it as rather odd.

I think it depends on the personality of the child. DGD, when a toddler was big into role play games that she developed and set up herself, usually based on books read to her or DVDs she had seen, but all required others to play the other characters. At one point she was deeply into 'All Creatures Great and Small'. She was Helen and she needed someone to be Jim - and grandmothers are very useful for games like that. DGS interests are very different. He is very happy if someone joins him building Lego models, but he is quite content without any other input, and drawing is entirely absorbing and doesn't require others to join in..

Pencils and plenty of paper seemed to be the most popular thing in our house, so many pictures drawn and stories written.

Pencils and plenty of paper seemed to be the most popular thing in our house, so many pictures drawn and stories written.