Customer Reviews

Grandloving: Making Memories with Your Grandchildren, 4th Edition

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This book covers the gamut when it comes to finding fun things to do with children. Because my new grandson is 800 miles away, I especially liked all of the long-distance grandparenting ideas. I would recommend it to anyone, mothers and fathers as well as grandparents.

I found GRANDLOVING a treasury of tips and suggestions, and not only for grandparents! Aunts, uncles, friends, teachers, childless former college roommates -- all of us who want to connect with kids and bridge the generations -- need its help! The authors are gentle, humorous instructors who show us how to slow down and focus on details for "toddler talk"... why a megaforce Hello Hug may bring tears instead of kisses... why to wear slouchy sweats and "get down" where kids really live and play -- on the rug. With this book's advice and its easy-to-engineer activities, crafts and gifts, we are truly ready for "Funlove" between grown-ups and children.

Now in a revised and expanded second edition, Grandloving: Making Memories With Your Grandchildren is more effective than ever as a compendium of tips, ideas and suggestions for grandparents to bond with their grandchildren. More than two hundred fun and easy activities drawn from 350 families are presented along with sound advice, helpful suggestions, and inexpensive do-together projects. Whether it something special for family holidays and celebrations, or just a rainy-day or weekend visit pastime, Grandloving will have everything you need to plan and implement a truly memory making event. Enthusiastically recommended for grandparents of any age or circumstance, Grandloving's engaging, "reader friendly" text is enhanced with reminders about child development, an extensive list of resources, helpful logos, and an easy-to-use index.

If there is a better feeling in the world than "warm and fuzzy," I don't know what that is, and that's precisely the feeling I received reading Grandloving. Sue and Julie capture perfectly that special relationship between grandparents and grandchildren in a delightfully refreshing book that is a "must read" for every grandparent and grandparent-to-be. Some of the low-cost to no-cost activities they share brought back a flood of memories to a simpler time, a time of innocence that I enjoyed with my own grandparents. This book offers a gentle, guiding hand for grandparents and grandchildren alike to create their own very special, magical moments together that will be treasured for a lifetime.

What a wonderful resource for grandparents! The wealth and wide variety of information included in this comprehensive book is amazing, and so very helpful to grandparents-to-be--whether they`re "experienced" grandparents, or about-to-be for the first time. "Grand Loving" begins with pregnancy, offering the reader ways to make memories for parents-to-be. Some of these suggestions involve remembering when the kids (soon-to-be-parents) were on the way. These are things that will provide priceless memories for the parents-to-be and the new grandchild.

The authors offer wise words on a very wide variety of situations and circumstances, including dealing with miscarriage, helping older siblings of the new baby adjust, avoiding conflict and letting the new parents parent without interfering, but offering support.

Speaking from the "other" side (I'm "just" the parent now, so the grandparents are my parents and in-laws), I found myself smiling and saying "yes!" as I read the advice to grandparents about not giving too much advice, offering support to the new parents, being prepared to entertain yourself when visiting the family with the new baby, making memories, and even getting along with other grandparents.

The "project" sections of the book give clear instructions for a wide variety of things to do with the grandkids. Don't worry if you are not "crafty," or don't enjoy the outdoors; the authors have given projects in nine different categories, including art, construction, cooking, games, and music. The projects use inexpensive, readily available supplies, and every grandparent is sure to find many activities he or she will enjoy with grandchildren of any age, with any interest.

This book is a "must have" for any grandparent--"about to be" grandparent or "have a bunch of grandkids" grandparent. It would make a great gift from the parents-to-be to the grandparents-to-be, perhaps even as a fun way to announce a pregnancy!

This book has great information for anyone who works with children ! Of course grandmothers are always looking for ideas and new things to do with grandchildren. Offering specific activities, as well as helpful information, this book is a MUST HAVE for any grandmother. It's also a PERFECT gift for any adult who has grandchildren.

Many grandparents long to have a relationship with their grandchildren but live too far away or just don't remember how to have fun! This terrific book helps on both counts (and many more). It's easy to read, but hard to put down if you're looking for ways to interact with grandchildren of all ages whether near or far. I'm a pretty creative person myself, but the authors came up with some ideas I'd never thought of and I plan to implement them. I also plan to tell other new grandparents about the book. It would make a great gift for anyone new to the world of grandparenting.

Are you an about-to-be grandparent? Then you need this book. Or maybe you are an old hand with a "PhD." in grandparenting? I promise you will still find an array of fun, inexpensive ways to form closer ties with those grandchildren in "Grandloving."

Sue Johnson, along with daughter-in-law Julie Carlson, have gathered an amazing collection of tidbits of wisdom, creative ideas and just plain, fun things to do with kids. They provide a wonderful guide to those who might be a little nervous at the idea of small children around again. With creative ideas that fit every stage from infant to adolescence, any grandparent or parent will love this book.

The ideas are easy and inexpensive, from the "Nut's on a Run" walnut-shell racecars to the "Snowman in a Box" that will delight children.

"Grandloving" offers a myriad of ideas for fun and building closeness, especially if you live far away from the grandchildren. Great as a gift book.

Much, much more than a collection of activities to do with children, Grandloving is a virtual encyclopedia of ways to connect with your grandchildren (and nieces and nephews, or any other child in your life) on visits but also across the miles.

A treasure trove, not just on specific ideas for fun activities to do with children, but also of the philosophy that a close bond between children and grandparents is a vital, enriching experience for both the young and the older generations.

I feel fortunate and privileged that I grew up only a mile from my grandparents. My grandfather was my most favorite person in the whole world. He was kind, helpful, nonjudgmental, and always listened to our joys and concerns; and frequently organized fun activities such as hayrides, bonfires and wienie roasts for all the children in the area. He was loved by all the children in the neighborhood--they all called him Granddad.

Grandloving has many creative suggestions for connecting with your grandchildren even if you live far apart.

A grown up grandchild who lives on the other side of the continent frequently remarks on things she remembers from her childhood visits with me: The stool with a seat that turned around (an old piano stool), finding neat things in the tidepools at the ocean beach, reading with Grandma, learning to make banana smoothies, etc.

I heartily recommend Grandloving for any person who wants to be better connected with a child.

This book is full of ideas and wisdom for grandparents of children of all ages. Clearly the authors have "been there" and many of these ideas have the ring of truth. I gave this book to my own parents to help them think about how to interact with their grandchildren--rather than being insulted, they have said that they are grateful for the resource! Definitely recommend this book.