Stayover at Grandparents’ House
For Kiel, stayover at grandparents’ house means getting all the attentions to himself and the fun activities he gets to do with us. We believe he needs this exclusive attention especially since having his little brother in his life. Kiel often asks his mommy when he can go to grandpa and ‘gramma’ house so recently he got to stay with us for three days.
Bicycle Ride for a 5 Year Old
The weather has been really good to go for a bicycle ride for a 5 year old boy. Kiel is excited because mommy has brought along the bicycle we got for him last year. It was too big when we bought it but Kiel has grown taller since. His feet could touch the paddles and stretch to the ground so he doesn’t feel like he was going to fall off the bicycle. Cycling is the first thing we do together – up and down the street and ringing his bell. It’s such a joy to see the confidence on his face when he gets the bicycle going. I love that! The fun, exertion and sun finally worn him out because he falls asleep on the couch while waiting for me to fix a smoothie.
Fun Outdoor Activities
Best way to keep a 5 year old boy entertained during stayover at grandparents’ house is to give him some fun outdoor activities. He is energized after his nap and we are outside playing hula hoops – not trying to roll them around the waists but to put them on the grass and throw golf balls into the rings. That keeps him busy for a while and then on to another game – racing with gramma across the yard. I don’t need to go to the gym to get my cardio exercise now! LOL We rest for a while under the sun and then he gets to play in grandpa’s karesansui (dry garden). It’s a section in our Japanese Garden filled with pea gravels that Shane rakes to form a design. He can play in there as long as he doesn’t throw the pea gravels all over the place. Afterwards, he helps me transplant some flowers and scoops wet gravels out of the old unused fountain. When it is dark out, grandpa fitted Kiel’s with a head lamp and they go out into the garden.
More Activities
We have more activities for Kiel the next day. It starts with a tuna sandwich breakfast that he fixes for us! Kasandra does a good job teaching Kiel to be independent. He tells me the ingredients he needs to make the sandwiches. Oh…we are so proud of him. Grandpa plays hula hoop with him in the garden. They have a bonding time talking about the things in the Japanese Garden and feed our neighbor’s dogs. We go for a bicycle ride up and down the street again – he is more confident this time. He helps water the plants with a small watering can and then uses a hose after he watches me using it on my rock garden. We have to change his clothes and put on his swim shirt when it turns into a water fight! A break on the lounge chair to enjoy the sun and then helps plant some spring onions in a pot. Kiel has a lot of activities whenever he stays over at grandparents’ house. We do give him a game time on the computer but it’s very minimal.
Click HERE to read all the activities we have with our grandkids.