With the cold winter finally behind us, we can start planning and looking forward to all the fun activities that spring and summer bring. Longer days and nicer weather are the perfect combination to make lasting memories with your grandchildren. 

We’ve put together a few of our favourite things you can do with your grandchildren now the warmer weather is on the way:

1. Go geocaching

If you’ve never heard of geocaching, it’s a fun treasure hunt for adults, but it’s also a great activity to do with your grandchildren. All you need to do is sign up for a geocaching site or app, grab your GPS and head out to find ‘cache’ left by other users. The ‘cache’ will have a little note to write on or maybe even a small gift that you need to replace. Explore the wonderful British countryside around each of our retirement villages while adding an extra element of fun for the little ones. Quite a few residents in our villages love geocaching!

For more information and to find some good geocaching apps and sites, check out this geocaching blog from GO Outdoors.

2. Make a splash

Whether you decide to head to a local pool or set up a paddling pool in your back garden, children love having fun in the water. It’s a cheap and easy way to keep your grandchildren entertained for hours. A great choice for keeping cool on a warm, sunny summer’s day too. The lovely on-site pools in our villages make visiting grandma and grandpa a very popular activity for several families!

3. Plan a day out

There are lots of great places to visit on the doorsteps of each of our villages, so take your grandchildren on a fun day out and make lots of new memories. Head to a local National Trust site and become nature detectives; try and find as many different types of birds, bees and bugs as you can, or head out to a local town to explore the shops and local attractions. Check out which National Trust sites are near to our villages here.

4. Cook up a storm

Have some fun while making dinner or have a baking competition. Cooking dinner or baked goods is not only fun but also a great way to teach your grandchildren new recipes and how to be safe in the kitchen. Why not have a go at making pizza from scratch; you can make the dough, then get the little ones to add their favourite toppings to their pizzas. For a sweet treat with a sprinkle of healthy competition thrown in, make some fairy cakes together and see who can decorate theirs the best.

To give you some ideas on what to make, take a look at this blog from Taste of Home sharing some easy recipes to make with Grandma (or Grandad!).

5. Sow seeds of wonder

If you love gardening, then why not get your grandchildren involved? They will love getting their hands dirty and helping you plant fruits and vegetables that you can enjoy together. If you don’t have a garden or a lot of room, you could grow herbs on your windowsill instead. This is a fun way to teach your grandchildren new skills and teach them about how food is grown and where it comes from.

6. Be crafty

We all know that UK weather can be a bit unpredictable at times, so when the weather is a bit rubbish, art and crafts can be a great indoor activity. There are so many different ways you can get crafty with your grandchildren; from drawing or painting masterpieces for the fridge, to using felt or other fabrics to create finger puppets. You could even decorate some cardboard boxes and make a den – let your imagination run wild.