Summer Break Activities to Try with Grandchildren

When school lets out and the days stretch long and sunny, summer break offers a wonderful window of time to connect with your grandchildren or other young people in your life. Whether they’re staying for a weekend visit or spending a whole week at your house, you don’t need fancy plans or a big budget to create memories they’ll treasure for years to come.

The best summer activities are often the simplest ones, the kind that invite conversation, creativity, and a little bit of silliness. Below are some fresh ideas to inspire your time together, with plenty of room to adapt to your own family’s interests and pace.

You don’t need to drive to a campground to enjoy the magic of camping. Pitching a tent in the backyard (or even setting up a sheet fort in the living room) can feel like a grand adventure to a child.

Roast marshmallows over a small fire pit or in the oven, tell stories under the stars, and listen for crickets and night birds together. If you wear hearing aids, encourage your grandchildren to take turns describing the sounds they hear. It’s a sweet way to share the experience and helps them appreciate listening as something special.

• Pack flashlights and a favorite stuffed animal
• Bring a notebook for “campfire stories” the kids dictate
• Plan a simple breakfast like pancakes the next morning

A grandparent-grandchild reading club is a wonderful way to bond while encouraging a love of books. Pick a chapter book to read aloud together over several visits, or each choose your own book and share what you learned over lemonade.

Take turns reading paragraphs, or let older grandchildren read to you while younger ones illustrate scenes. If you’d like more inspiration, take a look at this guide on how to host a hearing loss-friendly book club, many of the same tips work beautifully for kids.

Cook and Bake Simple Recipes Side by Side

The kitchen is one of the best classrooms for grandchildren. Choose recipes that match their age and attention span, and don’t worry about a little flour on the floor.

• Homemade pizzas with build-your-own toppings
• No-bake cookies or fruit popsicles
• Fresh lemonade with herbs from the garden
• Pasta salad they can toss and serve themselves

Cooking together also gives you natural chances to chat face-to-face, which makes conversation easier for everyone. If background noise from a mixer or oven fan makes hearing tricky, try discussing the next step before turning on the appliance.

Fresh air does wonders for grandparents and grandchildren alike. Plan low-key outings that let everyone move at a comfortable pace, a nature walk at a local park, feeding ducks at a pond, or a visit to a farmers market to pick out fruit for the week.

If you’re looking to build more movement into your summer, this post on how to start a walking routine has gentle ideas you can adapt for younger walking buddies. Don’t forget sunscreen, water bottles, and a snack for sudden energy crashes.

Crafting is a timeless activity that works rain or shine. Set up a card table on the porch with supplies and let the kids’ imaginations lead the way.

• Painted rocks to hide around the garden
• Tie-dye T-shirts using simple kits
• Homemade scrapbooks of your summer days together
• Birdhouses or wind chimes from recycled materials

These projects also make wonderful keepsakes. Snap a photo of each finished piece so you can look back on your summer creations together next year.

Grandchildren are often fascinated to learn about your life growing up, the games you played, the music you listened to, even how telephones used to work. Pull out old photo albums, share family recipes that have been passed down, or sketch out a simple family tree together.

You might even introduce them to inspiring people from the past. This piece on historical figures with hearing loss can spark meaningful conversations about resilience and creativity.

Rainy summer afternoons are perfect for board games, card games, and puzzles. Choose games that work well across age groups and don’t rely heavily on quick verbal exchanges, so everyone can participate fully.

For more suggestions on setting up a welcoming environment for all ears, check out this guide on hosting a hearing loss-friendly game night. Many of the same tips work just as well for an afternoon with the grandkids.

When your visit ends and the grandkids head back home, keeping in touch helps the bond you built keep growing. Schedule weekly phone calls so they can tell you about the new school year, or plan a video chat to show off their latest art project. If you have hearing loss, a captioned telephone makes it easy to catch every word, even when little ones speak quickly or quietly.

Summer break with grandchildren doesn’t have to be elaborate to be meaningful. Simple shared experiences, a backyard campout, a baking project, a long walk, or a heartfelt phone call after they go home, are exactly the moments children remember most. Take it at your own pace, follow their curiosity, and enjoy this special time together.

• Discover how CapTel captioned telephones help you catch every word at www.captel.com/how-captel-works
• Find out if you qualify for a free CapTel phone at www.captel.com/qualification
• Call 1-800-233-9130 to learn more about staying connected with family

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