Making the most of the grandparent experience: Dynamic Grandparenting
Taking grandchildren to a museum can be a rewarding experience that may not only tighten bonds between family generations but also help meet several primary AARP goals: strengthening social connections, maintaining brain health and lessening some aspects of risk pertaining to fraud. With that in mind, AARP Virginia explored the museum experience in the first of its Dynamic Grandparenting webinar series.
View the full webinar on the AARP Virginia YouTube channel.
“As we attempt to maintain healthy brains as we get older, social interaction is one of the key components to maintaining strength and agility in our minds,” said webinar host and AARP Virginia Associate Director Brian Jacks. “Another aspect is physical activity,” and he said a museum visit with grandchildren can serve those purposes in a fun way.
Joining Jacks in the November webinar was Alicia Hollingsworth, activities coordinator at the Virginia Museum of Transportation in Roanoke. She offered many suggestions that she said could apply to any museum.
“Make it your own. Make it collaborative. Make it creative. Make it imaginative,” said Hollingsworth. “It doesn’t have to be a typical experience. You can bring every bit of excitement to a museum that you can to any activity. It’s all about how how you prepare.”
Among her suggestions:
• Learn ahead of time what grandchildren are studying in school and see if there is a tie-in you can explore at the museum.
• Visit the museum’s web and social media sites in advance to familiarize yourself before the visit.
• Upon entering, get a map and speak to a museum staffer or volunteer to help make the best use of your time.
Once inside, her recommendations typically turn to the practical side:
• Know the hours of any special programs and must-see activities.
• Know where to take your grandchildren for restroom or lunch/snack breaks.
• Recognize “museum overload,” especially with younger children.
Hollingsworth says other ways to enhance the experience might include:
• Creating a special invitation in advance.
• Having grandchildren of appropriate age take photos and/or journals during their visit.
• Creating a photo album for them as a way for all to remember the day.
You can view the full webinar on the AARP Virginia YouTube channel.
“Dynamic Grandparenting” presentations are being planned for once each month; the next is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. December 9 focusing on Making Holidays Memorable. You may learn more and register online. These webinars are among the many that AARP offers to anyone in the United States without charge or requiring membership.
“Grandparenting is a wonderful aspect of getting older for many people,” says Jacks, ''and we want to try to encourage that interaction. AARP cares.''
