Help me complete a grandkids visiting activity basket

[Lady Florida.]

Some background - We lived an hour away from dss and family so we usually visited them rather than the other way around. Two hours travel time was easier for us than for a family with 3 kids. Because of that, they never really spent time at Nonna and Pop Pop's house. Last year, after several years of planning, we finally moved closer. They've been coming over more often and it's wonderful. The problem is they started visiting before we thought out some boundaries. The boys, now 9 and 7, are into everything when they come over. It doesn't help that there aren't boundaries at the other grandparents' house and they have free rein there - g-ma only complains *after* they get into something she didn't tell them was off limits. I don't want ours to be one of those houses where they're afraid to do anything (I had a relative like that and hated going to their house) but I want there to be some limits. I also want them to know there are things they absolutely can do, mostly without supervision so they feel free to play.

They like to do papercrafts. We found out how much they like making paper airplanes when they almost used up all of our printer paper. The 7yo said he was making an "airplane army" lol. They also like using card stock to make swords. 

Ds is saving his Hot Wheels cars and Lego for a future child of his. He brought a subset of each down from the attic for the boys. 

Here's what we have -
Hot Wheels cars
Legos
sidewalk chalk
white card stock
 

What I plan to buy -
colored card stock
2 pairs of safety scissors
cheap paper so they don't use our printer paper
 

What else do you suggest? What are some good washable markers these days? Other fun crafts or small toys for their age?  We have the outdoors covered. Our subdivision has a nice little playground within walking distance and we have a clubhouse with a pool. I'm looking for things to keep them busy indoors so they don't wander the house looking for something interesting to do.

Edited August 7, 2021 by Lady Florida.

[TheReader]

Board games -- with just two, this might be difficult, but even one of those "5 in 1" sets that has checkers, chess, Chinese checkers, etc. could be good. My boys never played those games except at grandparents houses.

Add some glue/glue sticks

Play dough and cutters

Crayola washable markers are good still

maybe some stencils so that they can draw more complicated things than they might otherwise be able to do

other media to use (colored pencils, crayons, etc.)

pipe cleaners and beads can be fun

stickers

action figures, maybe, to add to their play 

put some place mats in the basket if you are concerned about them marking on the table

There are websites with free printable "lego build challenge" cards/lists, you could print off some of those and put with the legos so that when they run out of ideas they draw a challenge card and try to build that

If you have a Target near you, their "dollar spot" area frequently has inexpensive, but cute/well made craft ideas/kits, you could start picking one up here & there and keep a stash, and then each time they come over (or once/week, once/month, however often) add a new one or two to the basket -- so, don't put them all out at once, but then it's something fun to discover and do sometimes

Depending on budget, those little beads you assemble and melt together seem to be all the rage with that age group; I believe the assembling part can be done w/o supervision, and then you'd need to do the heating 

Also, depending on your tolerance for mess, slime making ingredients. Or have a "kitchen only basket" and have the recipes/ingredients for various slimes, oobleck, etc. stuff for them to play with; maybe that's a thing you do only once/month or something. You could also rotate in recipes for snacks they can make themselves (ranging from cookie mix type things, to assembling trail mix, etc.)

[pinball]

Nerf guns

[Kassia]

Great ideas above - I didn't see jigsaw puzzles.  

I would also add bubbles for outside and maybe water guns?  

[Kassia]

Oh, for the hot wheels cars maybe get one of those mats that are laid out like a city for them to drive their cars on.  Or just build roads with blocks. 

Like this: https://www.amazon.com/Kids-Carpet-Playmat-Rug-Bedroom/dp/B082VLX6ZK  we found them really cheap when our kids were little, though.

Oh, and those toy soldiers at the dollar store - my sons liked those, too.  

 

 

Edited August 7, 2021 by Kassia

[Lady Florida.]

6 minutes ago, TheReader said:

 

Add some glue/glue sticks

 

Crayola washable markers are good still

maybe some stencils so that they can draw more complicated things than they might otherwise be able to do

other media to use (colored pencils, crayons, etc.)

pipe cleaners and beads can be fun

stickers

action figures, maybe, to add to their play 

put some place mats in the basket if you are concerned about them marking on the table

Also, depending on your tolerance for mess, slime making ingredients. Or have a "kitchen only basket" and have the recipes/ingredients for various slimes, oobleck, etc. stuff for them to play with; maybe that's a thing you do only once/month or something. You could also rotate in recipes for snacks they can make themselves (ranging from cookie mix type things, to assembling trail mix, etc.)

All of these sound like great ideas. It's been so long since I've had kids that age in the house that things have slipped my mind. The only one that I don't want is:

Quote

Depending on budget, those little beads you assemble and melt together seem to be all the rage with that age group; I believe the assembling part can be done w/o supervision, and then you'd need to do the heating 

Do you mean Perler beads? Oh no! Not on your life! Ds went through a stage with those and I was vacuuming up little beads for ages after he lost interest. 😂

[TheReader]

1 minute ago, Lady Florida. said:

All of these sound like great ideas. It's been so long since I've had kids that age in the house that things have slipped my mind. The only one that I don't want is:

Do you mean Perler beads? Oh no! Not on your life! Ds went through a stage with those and I was vacuuming up little beads for ages after he lost interest. 😂

Hmm, I don't know. Let me look them up and see. They sell kits for them these days, and then you do this thing and they become a craft. 

Oh, ha, yes, looked them up and it is perler beads. So nevermind then 🙂

[Lady Florida.]

8 minutes ago, pinball said:

Nerf guns

Oh, you have no idea what you just said lol. 🤣🤣 Ds 23 and his friends have regular adult nerf battles (usually at a park). He has nerf guns that are absolutely not for children. They found them one time and got into them. We had to take them away and immediately thought of a rule for the house. "You can't go into Uncle D's room unless he's home and invites you in". It might not be a bad idea to get them some more kid friendly ones though.

[pinball]

3 minutes ago, Lady Florida. said:

All of these sound like great ideas. It's been so long since I've had kids that age in the house that things have slipped my mind. The only one that I don't want is:

Do you mean Perler beads? Oh no! Not on your life! Ds went through a stage with those and I was vacuuming up little beads for ages after he lost interest. 😂

Well, that’s too bad. And kinda of sad. Perler beads are awesome.

It’s only vacuuming…

and I happen to know that tomorrow is National Perler Bead Day

[Kassia]

Also, if you're worried about them being bored, you could go to the dollar store and get little cheap toys to dole out once in a while to surprise them and keep them busy.  Like the soldiers I mentioned above or they have plastic animals and stuff like that.  OTOH, maybe you don't want a lot of cheap junk around if they don't play with those items much. 

I don't know if they like trading cards or something like that either - my kids loved Pokemon and sports cards.  

[Alicia64]

I found so many baby gates at a second hand kid's store.

You might want to get baby gates to keep them out of certain rooms.

Where are you in Florida? Just wondering if you're anywhere near Legoland? In Winter Haven. Holy cow, that was my boys' Mother Ship.

One of my sons suggested origami so that they can make something a little more intricate.

Also, he said that you might want to buy a stack of colored construction paper that they can use up for planes etc.

Outdoors, my boys were happy with a small kids' pool filled with water. And sand! They loved a sandbox.

I LOVE bubbles for outside and water guns!! My kids LOVED water guns. And they never forgot the time we did water balloons -- they still talk about that.

[Lady Florida.]

7 minutes ago, Kassia said:

 

I would also add bubbles for outside and maybe water guns?  

Good ideas!

6 minutes ago, Kassia said:

Oh, for the hot wheels cars maybe get one of those mats that are laid out like a city for them to drive their cars on.  Or just build roads with blocks. 

Like this: https://www.amazon.com/Kids-Carpet-Playmat-Rug-Bedroom/dp/B082VLX6ZK  we found them really cheap when our kids were little, though.

Oh, and those toy soldiers at the dollar store - my sons liked those, too.  

 

 

I was thinking of maybe getting a small track and ramp for the cars. I think you can buy them. The problem is so many of those toys now are movie/tv tie-ins or they're part of a set. If you don't have this part of the set then that part is useless. Maybe I can find some used tracks on a local buy/sell board.

[gardenmom5]

how about one of those "town play carpets" you can pick up at big box stores?  or some hot wheels track.

I've gotten rid of a lot of my homeschool stuff - but I still have two sets of pattern blocks. (those are a hit, even for adults.).

desk puzzles?

building magnets?

 

 

[Kassia]

7 minutes ago, Alicia64 said:

 

I LOVE bubbles for outside and water guns!! My kids LOVED water guns. And they never forgot the time we did water balloons -- they still talk about that.

 

Two of my sons (twins) have a summer birthday and we used to have big birthday parties for them and give everyone a super soaker as a party favor and have the boys run around outside using them.  It was always a huge hit and followed by a couple of water balloon tosses/fights!  🙂 

[Lady Florida.]

9 minutes ago, Alicia64 said:

 

You might want to get baby gates to keep them out of certain rooms.

Where are you in Florida? Just wondering if you're anywhere near Legoland? In Winter Haven. Holy cow, that was my boys' Mother Ship.

One of my sons suggested origami so that they can make something a little more intricate.

Also, he said that you might want to buy a stack of colored construction paper that they can use up for planes etc.

 

Thanks. We can just close the doors plus they're big enough to climb over gates if they really wanted to. We're in Brevard County - near Kennedy Space Center and Port Canaveral. We went to Legoland with our homeschool group when it first opened. Ds was on the top end of the age range for that but as a Lego Lover he was in heaven! The grandkids actually live closer to Legoland than we do. They went a few years ago and plan to go back once they feel comfortable in crowds again.

Origami is a good idea. The 9yo did a short origami class and enjoys it. 

4 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

how about one of those "town play carpets" you can pick up at big box stores?  or some hot wheels track.

 

A play carpet is a good idea. 

[Lady Florida.]

I meant to add that we actually set up a room for them to spend the night, though that hasn't happened yet. We bought a trundle bed (I mentioned it in the captain's bed thread) so they can both stay. The room kind of doubles as a craft storage room for my craft stuff, office (the printer and a small desk are there) and is the playroom for one of our cats. Seriously. She likes to play with her toys in that room lol. Anyway, though they'll do any big stuff in the main areas of the house, I plan to keep the stuff in that room when they're not here.

[Alicia64]

2 minutes ago, Lady Florida. said:

Thanks. We can just close the doors plus they're big enough to climb over gates if they really wanted to.

Right, I know they're old enough to climb, but a baby gate is a gentle, sweet reminder to the kids: stay out!!! 🙃

Adding: My kids LOVED the Space Center. Loved it.

[R828]

Magformers! Even the adults here love them and they are so much easier to clean up vs Legos.

Also a good quality marble run has been a great hit here. Some of the cheaper ones are too fiddly, but we love the hape wooden ones. 

[Annie G]

Tape, glue, maybe a hot glue gun (our grands are 6-14 and all are ok with one), a bag of Popsicle sticks. I have a box of smallish smooth rocks and some acrylic paint. The kids occasionally paint rocks for fun. I keep playdoh in small cans but they’ve really gotten into Sculpey lately. 

We always play games when together and decided to keep a selection here. Uno, Tellestrations, Pit, and Sequence are favorites.  We do puzzles that are 300-500 pieces with them. They don’t have the attention span to do the 1000-1500 that dh and I do. 

 

[lmrich]

Marble run 

decks of cards

visit the thrift store and have fun

[Spryte]

Soooo many great ideas here!

My kids were all extremely into making Rube Goldberg machines.  So maybe throw on some YouTube videos or watch the OK GO video that has the giant Rube Goldberg machine (I guess several do but a good one is This Too Shall Pass, I think).  We have bins and bins of nice dominoes for domino runs, Haba Ball Tracks (beautifully made!), marble runs, and so, so many others.  My kids could all spend hours on those.  And filmmaker boy has since edited a lot of videos together for a sweet and funny compilation. Adding OK Go video link:  

 

Outside, if you are adding bubbles… the giant ones made with rope and two sticks … really fun for big kids!

Also, the Toymaker has a page of paper craft projects that are free.  Print on card stock.  https://www.thetoymaker.com/2Toys.html

Edited August 8, 2021 by Spryte
Adding links

[Frances]

My son and all of his friends, both boys and girls, loved making things with melting beads at that age. We had the big bucket of mixed beads and they would spend hours sorting through them to find the right colors and make their creations. I only had to help with the ironing at the end. We still have lots of Christmas ornaments he made.

My son’s grandma had tons of K’nex had her house and would also give them as gifts, so that was a big hit. He highly preferred them to Legos.

Maybe something like Snap Circuits?

[ddcrook]

If they like paper crafts, then they may enjoy making things with chenille sticks. 

[Terabith]

My kids would have been pretty offended by baby gates at 7 and 9.  

Beyblades

[Spryte]

Oh!  Snap Circuits!  Brings back great memories.  

[Drama Llama]

4 minutes ago, Terabith said:

My kids would have been pretty offended by baby gates at 7 and 9.  

 

and by safety scissors.  

I would get the small sized Fiskars with points.  Safety scissors don't cut paper.  

[busymama7]

Colored duct tape.  My neighbor actually has an art closet for her grandkids. It's great.  It's walk in and had a counter/desk. She puts empty boxes, paper towel rolls etc in there for them.  And lots of colored duct tape.  My kids use it too 😉

 

If they are making swords out of cardstock they will totally love creating with duct tape. 

[wendyroo]

If they like paper crafts, they might like Paper Toy Monsters.

My kiddos those ages also love Lego, card and board games, Snap Circuits, Tinker crates, graphic novels and magazines, single player logic games, Perler beads, Nerf guns/arrows, and making slime.

[Zoo Keeper]

Playmobil 

Lego

--try online (FB or other networking sites) for used random lots of Lego or Playmobil-- parents cleaning out the toyroom get desperate to see it gone, and you get a good deal. 🙂

magnatile set

 Uno 

Set (card game)

Blink (another card game)

And don't underestimate the play value of boxes.   Empty banana boxes, oatmeal containers, paper towel tubes, shoe boxes... 

[Murphy101]

I think some of the enchantment of going to grandmas or the cool auntie/uncles house is they don’t try to manage them as much as mom and dad. They are a lot more autonomous there.

I would set aside a space like the walk-in closet idea to toss things they can have free reign with. But also. They adore just being with you and being treated like an equal. So what are you and your husbands hobbies and interests? Can they join you in exploring those things?  What are their interests? Do either your husband or you have a desire to share in developing it?

My husband says some of his fondest memories are coming to grandparent’s house after school and just sitting with them eating a molasses cookie and watching jeopardy together.

I used to watch my grandmother make quilts and lace for hours and she never got cranky about it though I’m absolutely certain I was an annoying pita looking back. Lol

[wendyroo]

3 minutes ago, Murphy101 said:

I think some of the enchantment of going to grandmas or the cool auntie/uncles house is they don’t try to manage them as much as mom and dad. They are a lot more autonomous there.

I would set aside a space like the walk-in closet idea to toss things they can have free reign with. But also. They adore just being with you and being treated like an equal. So what are you and your husbands hobbies and interests? Can they join you in exploring those things?  What are their interests? Do either your husband or you have a desire to share in developing it?

My husband says some of his fondest memories are coming to grandparent’s house after school and just sitting with them eating a molasses cookie and watching jeopardy together.

I used to watch my grandmother make quilts and lace for hours and she never got cranky about it though I’m absolutely certain I was an annoying pita looking back. Lol

The first part of this is not true at all in our situation, but the bolded section is very true when my kids go to my parents' house.

Due to my kids being very non-neurotypical and dangers to themselves and each other, our house is still highly structured and "babyproofed" despite the kids all being elementary and middle school ages. But when they go to Nana and Papa's, they simply don't have opportunities to get into things (and there are a ton of very dangerous and/or expensive things accessible there) because they spend almost all their time with Nana and Papa. They sew with my mom, do woodworking or soldering with my dad. They help with cooking and gardening. My parents play ping-pong, checkers and outside games with them. They have TV series that they only watch with my parents. And even when they are playing Lego and other more solitary pursuits, they are almost always doing so near my parents.

So, in our situation, my parents do have quite a few toys at their house, but the primary draw of Nana and Papa's house is doing activities with them.

[Bootsie]

old socks, buttons, yarn fabric scraps, pipe cleaners, popsicle sticks  and markers to make hand puppets.  

Paper towel rolls, boxes, cardboard, pie tins, to build forts or make musical instruments

puzzle books, joke books, books with craft ideas, 

bean bags and marbles

deck of cards and games

[kbutton]

Cardboard and duct tape. My kids made all kinds of things from those--armor, shields, weapons, etc. My dad helped my kids made a stunning set of armor that they repaired and imitated over time. Markers to decorate it are helpful.

Games, including some solitary ones, like logic puzzles and solitaire chess. Travel size games go a long way if storage is an issue.

Safari figures (or another brand). They have animals, mythical creatures, knights, historical figurines, and all kinds of stuff.

I'd hit yard sales or "mom" sales (around here, sometimes they hold weekend sales in gyms or elementary schools where you can sell yourself while volunteering to run the sale). Those are amazing for picking things up. I think sometimes they have a very small entry fee that goes toward charity, and often a small percentage of proceeds do as well, though as a buyer, you won't care about the proceeds. 

If you can find them for a reasonable amount, Construx by Fisher Price are the most popular toy the grandparents. Even the teenagers play with them, and everyone wishes they had more. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Construx  All of the kids love Legos, but when they go there, they monopolize the Construx.

 

[prairiewindmomma]

7&9?

Uno cards, Munchkin, and Qwirkle

a Nintendo switch with Minecraft and a few other games

legos

a handful of books: Ranger’s Apprentice, Artemis Fowl, and Captain Underpants were my boys’ favorites in that age range

Toobs figurines (use Michael’s 40% off coupons to collect)

 

 

[Frances]

10 hours ago, wendyroo said:

The first part of this is not true at all in our situation, but the bolded section is very true when my kids go to my parents' house.

Due to my kids being very non-neurotypical and dangers to themselves and each other, our house is still highly structured and "babyproofed" despite the kids all being elementary and middle school ages. But when they go to Nana and Papa's, they simply don't have opportunities to get into things (and there are a ton of very dangerous and/or expensive things accessible there) because they spend almost all their time with Nana and Papa. They sew with my mom, do woodworking or soldering with my dad. They help with cooking and gardening. My parents play ping-pong, checkers and outside games with them. They have TV series that they only watch with my parents. And even when they are playing Lego and other more solitary pursuits, they are almost always doing so near my parents.

So, in our situation, my parents do have quite a few toys at their house, but the primary draw of Nana and Papa's house is doing activities with them.

This was the same for my son. He loves food shopping and cooking with all of his grandparents (and thought being allowed to walk to the store by himself in my small hometown as an eight year old was just about the best thing ever), making and eating traditional Midwestern foods, working on projects with his grandpas, quilting with his grandmas, and just doing simple things like driving out in the country to look at crops and then stopping for an ice cream cone or making popcorn every night before bed. We didn’t have TV, so all of his exposure to Disney and most other movies and TV shows was at his grandparent’s house. I remember once when my son was a teen and my FIL was deceased, my MIL took him to a stock car race because she knew how much he loved cars. It’s honestly something I never even thought of and I’m not sure we even have them here.

Edited August 9, 2021 by Frances

[lynn]

Blocks, sewing cards, memory game, connect 4, measuring  tape, 

[Jann in TX]

I think you already have just about everything covered...

Only suggestions would be to begin adding a collection of board games (and occasionally play with them!).

You do not need a lot of stuff...

These are 9yr and 7yr old boys--

I did love the idea of cardboard boxes and duct-tape... those alone (with some supervision if something needed to be cut) would make for an awesome rainy day activity.

[cougarmom4]

Remote control cars

[TechWife]

I’m so glad you’re doing this! My mom kept boxes for each of her grandchildren and then for her great grandchildren. Each box had the child’s name on it and she  changed the contents out as they aged. Going to grandmas and getting your box out was a big deal! Over the years, she kept boxes for five grandchildren and three great grandchildren. Popular items included: 

construction paper 

drawing paper
colored pencils 
crayons 

washable markers 

glue sticks

scissors 

school glue

stickers 

old magazines to cut up - our library has a stock of old magazines people can pick up

play doh

Craft kits 

paper towel tubes

small boxes - ex. Toothpaste boxes, cereal boxes, oatmeal canisters

yarn

googly eyes

stencils

tissue

watercolor paint sets

 Small velvet poster kits

Plastic weaving looms & loops

small pieces of fabric

Old socks that had lost their mates

rubber stamps and ink pads

felt

knitting and crochet needles w/easy patterns and willing grandma to teach

books to read - staring with board books on up - little house, Nate the great, Nancy drew, little women, hardy boys, Amelia  Bedelia, etc. 

She started the box for each child around the age of two. Prior to that going to grandmas meant being able to climb in and out of one designated cabinet that housed cookie sheets and larger Tupperware  items. She’d also give them a hand mixer to use in the six with dish soap to make bubbles.

Wow, I hadn’t thought about this in a long time. We sent the last of the boxes home with the great grandchildren when we cleaned out her house after she died. I miss her. 

 

 

Edited August 9, 2021 by TechWife

[Eos]

On 8/7/2021 at 12:25 PM, Alicia64 said:

I found so many baby gates at a second hand kid's store.

I definitely just read this as you found so many baby goats and wondered how the OP would put them to use...insomnia has its amusements!

[Slache]

At my grandparents there was a guest room and everything I was allowed to play with was in there. You may not have the room but you could buy a grandkids cabinet.

At Christmas time you can get wooden Lincoln Logs and wooden Tinker Toys.

Quality art supplies.

Water balloons.

Basketball, soccer ball.

Take them to a store with $X each to pick out toys for your house.

Go to a hobby store on occasion to pick up a project.

I would keep their paper separate from yours to avoid frustration.

[Lady Florida.]

Thank you so much everyone!! I was trying to put together a list and was coming up blank - it's been a long time since I had to keep a 7 or 9yo busy. Then I thought, "Why not ask The Hive?" I knew you all would come through and you did. ❤️

I'm not trying to put together a full playroom, just stuff to keep them busy and things they know they're allowed to play with. Items that they know are theirs when they come here. BTW, the 9yo has a Nintendo Switch Lite but his time on it is limited. I won't go against mom and dad to give him more time.

 

10 hours ago, Jann in TX said:

 

You do not need a lot of stuff...

These are 9yr and 7yr old boys--

 

Yes to this. I just want them to have some things they know they can do without having to ask permission and without getting in trouble for.

1 hour ago, Slache said:

At my grandparents there was a guest room and everything I was allowed to play with was in there. You may not have the room but you could buy a grandkids cabinet.

 

That's where I plan to keep everything. While it's a guest room/office we don't actually have overnight adult guests. Our family are all local. The room is really being set up for them when they spend the night and we bought a bed with them in mind, not guests. I don't really have any other place to keep our office supplies and my own craft stuff so I plan to make clearly separate areas with one area they know is full of things for them.

Thanks again everyone. I'm going out this afternoon to get some things and will gradually collect other stuff.

[Idalou]

How about some type of clay that air dries? My kids liked to make their own board games with  hours spent arguing about what the rules would be, and then they'd make game piece figurines with the clay. They'd also design their own pokemon style animals. Hours wills also be easily spent painting them, and also painting plastic army men. If you do not mind the  mess, rubbing colored chalk in bowls of sand, and then layering the colors in jars is probably doable for their age. Maybe a  Lite-Brite? Or two, so they won't have to share.

[Jaybee]

Ed Emberly drawing books are also a lot of fun to have on hand. Our kids enjoyed them at a lot of different ages; just look inside (if possible) to see which ones you think they would enjoy the most.

[Alicia64]

10 hours ago, Harpymom said:

I definitely just read this as you found so many baby goats and wondered how the OP would put them to use...insomnia has its amusements!

Hilarious! I do this all the time too!

[TechWife]

Oh - scotch tape in a dispenser- easier for them to manage in a dispenser.