Keohane Funeral Home

Celebrating Grandfathers on Father’s Day

June is the month to celebrate fathers on Father’s Day. But what about grandfathers? They play a special role in our lives and the lives of our children as well. What better way to show your appreciation than to celebrate Grandpa on Father’s Day!

Father’s Day is coming up fast, and it is the perfect time to do something special with Grandpa. Here are some ideas on how to express your love for Grandpa on Father’s Day:

1. Eat together: Take Grandpa out for a meal at his favorite restaurant or host a backyard BBQ. Having a meal together is a wonderful way to spend quality time with Grandpa. If Grandpa lives in a retirement home or assisted living, find out if you and your family can join him for lunch at the facility. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, be sure to contact the facility to find out their current visitation policies.
2. Read together: Reading books together can be a wonderful bonding experience with children. There are many great books that celebrate the relationship between grandfathers and their grandchildren, such as How To Babysit a Grandpa or The Grandpa Book. If the children are younger, they can sit in grandpa’s lap and he can read to them. If your children are older, it can be a wonderful opportunity for them to practice reading to their grandpa. Allow older children to choose a book that they want to read whether it’s about grandpas or not. Grandpa will just be happy to spend time with his grandchildren. If you can’t visit in person, your child can read a book to Grandpa over Zoom or any other video chat platform.
3. Family history: Your grandpa has a wealth of knowledge about his family history and the course of events over his lifetime. There are many tools to record family history. Storyworth makes it easy for grandpa to record his stories with a year’s worth of questions and prompts and then collects all the stories and photos into a bound book. You can bring a recording device, either video or audio, to record grandpa’s stories on your visit. It helps to have a list of questions ahead of time to prompt his memory. The New York Times article, Record and Share Your Family History in 5 Steps, provides great tips.
4. Make it Intergenerational: Find activities that everyone can enjoy, depending on the ages and abilities of all involved. Taking a fishing trip or family hike can be great for the outdoorsman type. Your walk can be an easy stroll along a paved walkway or a hike through the woods on conservation land or a park. A family talent show or attending a sporting event can be fun for the whole family. For more ideas, here are some suggestions for intergenerational activities.
5. Help Him Out: If there are some chores or repairs that Grandpa has been meaning to do but hasn’t been able to get done, you can offer to do it for him. Kids can help Grandpa in the garden, and parents can help fix the leaky pipe or hang a picture on the wall. If Grandpa has a special hobby, ask him if you can join him for the day, whether it’s playing golf, woodworking, or any other special interest. Let Grandpa be the expert and show you how it’s done!

Father’s Day can be a great way for you and your children to bond with Grandpa, whether it’s joining him for a nice meal, sharing a special hobby or spending an afternoon reading together. Regardless of how your children spend time with their grandpa, the most important part of the day is creating wonderful memories.