#1
LET’S READ!
Grandmas! Whether you call yours grandma, grandmother, nana, or a cultural nickname like Abuela (that means grandma in Spanish!), she’s your mom or dad’s mom. So grandmas have to be moms before they become grandmas. Then, when a mom’s kids have kids, she becomes a grandma!
Grandmas are very important pieces of a family. Often, they’re known for spoiling and pampering their kids. Grandma-themed shirts say things like “I don’t have to say no, I’m the grandma” and “Grandma: Best Job Ever!” Grandmas are confidants and partners in crime–women who stay by their grandchildren’s side no matter what.
Did you know that grandmas pass traits onto their grandchildren through genetics? That’s right! Our genetics are like a code–they’re our programming. They decide whether we have brown eyes or blue eyes. They decide if we grow tall or if we stay short. They decide everything, even down to the sound of our voice!
Genetics are passed on from parents to their children. So grandmothers give traits to their children, and their children give those same traits to their grandchildren. Many people have at least two or three things in common with their grandparents–and their grandmas, specifically!
LET’S TALK!
1. Do you have anything in common with your grandma? Does your child have things in common with theirs? Tell them about it!
2. Are your grandmas still alive? What about your child’s? Give your child a kid-friendly explanation of how grandparents are older than us and usually die before we do.
3. Tell your child about some of the things they got from you. How do your genes show up in them?
#2
LET’S READ!
Every May, a national holiday called Mother’s Day is celebrated. This holiday is meant for celebrating and appreciating the mothers in our lives, whether they be our own mothers, friends’ mothers, or grandmothers!
Grandmothers are a great source of wisdom and knowledge. Not only do they often have all kinds of delicious recipes up their sleeves, but they also have a lot more life experience than their children and grandchildren. They’re full of stories to share and lessons to teach.
Did you know the average woman becomes a grandma around the age of 48? That means that typically, people are grandparents for 40-50% of their lives (and 50% or more of their adult lives after age 18).
Not only that, but one tenth of the children in the U.S. live with grandparents, which usually includes their grandma! This happens more in cultures that normally have multi-generational households, but it can also be a very good way for new parents (and the rest of the family) to save money!
LET’S TALK!
1. Have you ever lived with your parents (and has your child ever lived with their grandparents)? Why or why not?
2. What is (or was) your favorite thing about your paternal grandmother (your dad’s mom)? What’s your favorite thing about your child’s paternal grandmother?
3. Do you want to be a grandparent? Explain your answer to your child.
#3
LET’S READ!
Did you know that animals have grandmas, too? Not every animal gets to meet their grandparents. Some animals, like birds and wolves, leave their families when they get old enough. Other animals, like flies, have extremely short lifespans, so their grandparents are usually dead by the time they’re born.
But some animals do get to meet, and bond with, their grandparents!
For example, Gray langur monkeys live in tight-knit groups where grandmothers, mothers, and daughters all stay together. Grandma langurs defend langur infants against attacks from predators like humans, dogs, and other monkeys. Even langur grandmas spoil their grandchildren; they groom them and stop them from playing too roughly with other monkeys!
Orcas also stay with their grandmas. These older females babysit the group’s younger members while their moms dive to find food, and they also lead the pod (or group) for decades after they stop reproducing! Plus they usually remember all the best places to find food, so they can help their families survive.
Finally, elephants are one of the animals closest with their families, so it’s no surprise that they have grandmas! The females in an elephant herd are often closely bonded and work together to raise the young. If elephants are born to younger mothers, they’re eight times more likely to survive if they have a grandmother nearby! And grandma elephants have more experience than their daughters, so they can help calves navigate situations that their mothers might be unfamiliar with.
LET’S TALK!
1. How is your grandma, and/or your child’s grandma, like one of the animal grandmas we talked about?
2. What is (or was) your favorite thing about your maternal grandmother (your mom’s mom)? What’s your favorite thing about your child’s maternal grandmother?
3. Do you have any memories of your grandmother helping you with something? Was there ever a situation your mother didn’t know how to handle that your grandmother did? Tell your child about it.
#4
LET’S READ!
Let’s talk about some fun grandma-themed facts!
Did you know that 70% of grandmas feel like it’s their most important role in life? I bet if you asked your grandma, she would tell you something similar! Grandmas love being grandmas, and it’s common for them to feel like they do a better job with “parenting” their grandchildren than they did with their own children.
There are 70 million grandparents in the U.S.! That means they make up a third of America’s population, and they also lead 37% of households.
Have you ever heard of Bill Clinton, Willie Nelson, Barack Obama, and Oprah Winfrey? These famous people were all raised primarily by their grandparents! And that’s not all; about 7% of kids in the U.S. are being raised by their grandmas (and grandpas) right now. That’s nearly 5 million children!
And here’s one more fun one: grandmas are very responsible drivers (probably because they’ve had a lot of practice)! Kids are 50% less likely to be injured in cars driven by their grandparents than their parents.
LET’S TALK!
1. How old was your grandmother when she became a grandma? What about your child’s grandmother?
2. If your child’s grandma doesn’t live with you, ask them what their favorite part is about visiting their grandmother. What is (or was) your favorite part of visiting your own grandmother? (If your child’s grandmother does live with you, ask them what their favorite part of living with their grandma is.)
3. Were you raised by your grandma? Do you know someone who was? What do you think is different about your grandma raising you vs. your mom raising you?
VOCABULARY WORDS:
grandma, grandparents, grandmother, nana, genetics, traits, characteristics, wisdom, culture, multi-generational, parenting, spoiling
ACTIVITIES:
• Spend some time with your child’s grandma(s)! You can find ideas for fun things to do together here.
• Make an appreciation gift for your child’s grandma(s). Buy a cute craft from the craft store or make something homemade. You could get her a gift card or bake something like cupcakes! Let her know how appreciated and loved she is.
• If you can, take your child to visit their grandma(s). While you’re there, ask her questions about her life. How did she meet your grandpa? What was the world like when she was growing up? Are there any pieces of wisdom she wants to share with you? She has lots to say; ask her to tell you!
• Do you know any fun facts about your child’s grandma(s)? Do this fun PDF activity with your child!
RESOURCES:
1. Grandma Song for Kids (YouTube Video)
2. Jaylin Tries Her Great Grandma’s Favorite Childhood Food (YouTube Video)
3. Grandma vs Mom Cooking Challenge (YouTube Video)
4. Match Grandparent to Grandkid (YouTube Video)
5. Grandma (YouTube Video)
6. Grandmas from Mars (YouTube Video)
7. Just Grandma and Me – Little Critter (YouTube Video)
8. Grandma by Jessica Shepherd (Childs Play Intl Ltd, 2014)
9. Just Grandma and Me by Mercer Mayer (Random House Books for Young Readers, 2001)
10. Grandmas from Mars by Michelle Robinson (Bloomsbury Children’s Books, 2018)
