Kids always have a great time visiting their grandparents, and they often get to participate in activities they don’t have at home. Grandparents love spoiling their grandchildren and often let them stay up way past their normal bedtimes and eat lots of junk food. When your kids come home, you have to get them back into a normal routine. This can be a challenge, but with some good parenting tricks, it’s not as difficult as you might think.
Different Rules
The first thing children need to understand is the difference between grandparent rules and the ones that parents require at home. You should remind them of this before they go to their grandparents so that they don’t expect things to change at home. You still might hear an occasional, “Grandma lets me do that.” Establish rules that include chores, bedtime, snacks, quiet activities, outdoor play, television, and electronic device times. Different boundaries are in place at your home, and your child will understand that things are different at home.
Unwinding After The Visit
Your children may return from their grandparents a little on the wild side. They may be noisier than normal and hyperactive. It’s likely their grandparents were more lenient with sugary snacks, allowed them to do what they liked, and let them stay up later at night. You may have to help your children unwind with some calming activities. Children love art and the mandala coloring book app is a fun way to appeal to children while calming them at the same time. Coloring the beautiful mandala designs also stimulates a child’s creativity. Other quiet activities include game apps such as educational titles, such as Ghost Typing, Mystic Numbers, and ABC Ya. World of Zoo, Create, and Nancy Drew are games that challenge your child’s thinking and mystery solving skills. You might find yourself wanting to play.
Self Entertainment
Children need to be able to entertain themselves with different activities. There are times they won;t have someone to play with, and you will be busy with your own activities. Reading is one of the best pastimes you can encourage your children to engage in. Book are full of exciting adventures. While reading, kids can learn about the world and history while having fun. There are hundreds of children’s books available for download to tablets. Modern fantasy, historical fiction, non-fiction, biographies, and realism are just some of the choices available for children.
Family Evening
Reinforce your family time with a fun evening at home. A special movie night with popcorn, homemade cookies, and milk is one way to bring children back into the reality of being home with parents and in their normal routine. Children get excited when they go to visit their grandparents, but they also love coming home and enjoying their own familiar surroundings.
Don’t be concerned if your children are a little excitable after returning from a visit to their grandparents. These tips will help you ease them back in their routine, and things will be back to normal in no time.