If You Bring Your Grandparents to GiGi’s

If you bring your grandparents to GiGi’s, they will probably want to sit in the circle with all of your friends.

Once they sit with your friends in the circle, they will probably join in by saying their name and their favorite kind of cookie as well. You will offer them the cookie choice board as a visual support if they need it.

After they say their favorite kind of cookie, it will probably remind them that they want to read one of their favorite books about cookies that they read to you or your parents when they were a child: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond.

If you look closely, you will see that the grandparents fell asleep. Just kidding…you’ll come to find out, grandparents are really good at acting out the part of the story where the mouse takes a nap. Reading the book, will remind them of songs about mice and cookies they sang as a child.

They will want to sing the songs with their grandchild. They sing a few verses of “Hickory Dickory Dock”. Then, they sing, “Who Stole the Cookies from the Cookie Jar?”. The kids start to guess that it was some of the grandparents and great grandparents in the room that took the cookies,  but it wasn’t. It turned out to be the mouse from the story.

Singing the songs will remind them of going to school when they were a child. They remember singing songs, learning the alphabet and counting. They will ask you to do some counting with them.

They will help their grandchild count chocolate chip gems and put them on the visuals of cookies with their grandchild. Their grandchild may even show them the light table at GiGi’s, and the colored numbers and counters that go on it. They will tell their grandchild that they didn’t have those fancy light tables when they were in school.

Counting with the colored numbers will remind them how much they liked to color with crayons when they were younger.

They will get some crayons and some paper and start coloring with their grandchild     .

As they finish coloring, the child will give the completed paper to their grandparent. When they look at it, they will realize it’s actually a card for them and it’s a drawing of grandparents with their grandkids!    

Looking at the drawing will remind them that they should go on stage and get a photo together with the banner that says ‘Happy Grandparents Day!’.

After they sit on laps and smile for the photo, saying “GiGi’s” to the photographer, the grandparents and grandkids will be ready for a snack.

They will go back to the kitchen at GiGi’s and find milk and cookies to share. They will get a plate of cookies and a glass of milk to have as a snack with their grandchild.

Eating the cookies and drinking the milk will remind them that they did lots of fun activities today at GiGi’s with their grandchild.     .

They will want to go back into the playroom and play with their grandkids.

And chances are, if they play at GiGi’s with their grand child, they will want to come back again!

Thank you to each of the grandparents that joined us for our celebration at GiGi’s this year! We enjoyed hosting you and want you to know you are welcome to participate at any program with your grandchild. If you are interested in volunteering or donating, feel free to reach out!

Happy Grandparents Day!