Friday a beloved relative had foot surgery and died from a blood clot. He was only 57. We are stunned and hurting. His 6 year-old granddaughter has asked to come stay with me during the church and cemetery rituals. It's pretty tough to put our grief aside, let her parents and grandparents grieve and try to shelter the young one at the same time and good that she thinks I'm a comfortable person to visit with. Hard to put all that into a preamble . . . but - I have a few ideas on keeping a 6 year-old occupied - cookies, drawing, learning some simple tune on the child size piano. Will probably let her drive the golf cart in the pasture. The pickup truck quilt is underway and she can choose some faces from my I Spy stash for looking out the truck's windows. Help me. Our youngest grands are in their twenties and I am badly wanting reminding of the attention span and needs of one this young. What do I do for distraction and/or comforting? Polly
Polly, I am so sorry for your family's loss. The same thing happened to my grandmother. All they were doint was putting a little pacemaker under the skin of her knee, which wasn't healing well after a previous surgery.
You sound like a dream babysitter though, my gosh! I'm betting the golf cart will be a big hit. One thing I do remember about 6 year old girls also is that they love to play dress-up, and if there's costume jewelry or mardi gras beads involved, all the better. Does she like dolls? Bet she'd love to sit with you and help create simple doll clothes or blankets. (but it seems not all little girls play with dolls nowadays). Do little girls still play Candyland? Naw, probably not. They probably have Ipad versions or something.
How about a little finger painting? What I used to do with my kids was make a bowl of instant vanilla and a bowl of chocolate instant pudding. Put an old T-Shirt of dad's on them... gave them each a cookie sheet and let them "paint away". Licking fingers was not a problem. Make a picture -- then erase it away and make another!
Always kept them quite busy for a while.
Have fun! And I'm so sorry to hear of the loss of someone close to you.
Thank you, Sherry. I do have some fun jewelry and wigs: Cleopatra, Ronald McDonald and Cher. Since I can ( sort of) do photo/computer . . she might enjoy dressing and doing pictures. Good idea. Yes. Polly
Polly, I am so sorry for your family's loss. The same thing happened to my grandmother. All they were doint was putting a little pacemaker under the skin of her knee, which wasn't healing well after a previous surgery.
You sound like a dream babysitter though, my gosh! I'm betting the golf cart will be a big hit. One thing I do remember about 6 year old girls also is that they love to play dress-up, and if there's costume jewelry or mardi gras beads involved, all the better. Does she like dolls? Bet she'd love to sit with you and help create simple doll clothes or blankets. (but it seems not all little girls play with dolls nowadays). Do little girls still play Candyland? Naw, probably not. They probably have Ipad versions or something.
Ummm, good. I like that. My cookie sheet surfaces are not really deplorable but certainly scratchy. A taped on sheet of parchment ought to be a good artistic surface. Thank you, Kate. And thank you for your sympathy. We will have to put out own grieving aside for a while. We'll care for the little one first and then deal with our heart aches. Polly
Polly, I'm so sorry for your loss, but you are so blessed that this 6-year-old chose you to stay with. We know you're pretty special, and apparently she does too!
I've been trying to remember what entertained my niece and nephew when they were around that age, and believe it or not, it was the sewing machine! They couldn't reach the pedal or really do much on their own, but as long as they were in the sewing room with me, they were happy. Of course, it helped that I had a TV in there to draw their attention when they got bored with what I was doing. We mostly made little doll blankets, but a couple of times I bought a pillow form, and we made covers for them. They loved that!
I was never a little girl (I assure you) but I was 6 a few times, and I did spend considerable time (a week to a month at a shot) with... my grandparents and other elders, who had no clue how to entertain a 6 yr. old kid. One set wasn't too bad - they had a few toys left from aunts & uncles, & took me fun places - the other's idea of entertaining me was dragging me to Bingo with her.... 'nuff said.
Kids still play games, including board games (though I'd go for something a little more challenging/stimulating than C-land.) I prefer that *younger* kids play face-to-face board games rather than on a computer due to the socialization with oth)er human beings involved. There are skills to be learned/honed that cannot be learned on a computer.
That said, I'm gonna do a quick 180 and also extol the virtues of
*selective* television (Kids programming, WB cartoons, DVDs). As a child of the '60s (you know that, right?) the TV was my nanny. ("Ohhhh, THAT explains a lot," you muse.) Nevertheless, for those brief intervals when Grammy needs a few to regroup, an hour or two of judiciously chosen Toob is ok.
Read aloud. Some of my best memories of that age were of adults reading aloud to me. Fairy taled, Arabian Nights, Science Fiction, whatever she likes... Kids can *listen*/comprehend at levels far above what they can actually read (or view in movies, for that matter).
Polly, *you* drive the golf cart and let her do a nature walk & collect stuff to do things with later. Stones, leaves, flowers (if there are any left), ferns, gator eggs... (oh, yeah... she's a girl - maybe not gator eggs. ...or maybe so.)
You've probably got arts & crafts covered. You mentioned drawing. Got crayons? Got blocks? (building blocks, legos... something free- form requiring creativiry/imagination). I've never been a parent, but I've rented on weekends, and IIRC, 6 yr. olds don't have a lot of gender differentiation yet when it comes to activities. She may also need something more physical (exercise or to wear her down to your speed - depends on the kid).
My last bit of advice. Think like Yogi. Kids (especially 6 and younger) are more like dogs than we think. Kids & dogs are always on the wrong side of a door. Kids & dogs always need something just as you sit down. Kids & dogs always need a snack/drink at the most inopportune times. The list goes on...
Make a small quilt, of course, if she's interested in quilting. Cut some squares -- 5-6" might be a good size -- and help her sew them together. Sandwich it, tie or quilt, and bind. Make it small for dolls if she's a doll-playing girl or a bit bigger for her. It can be a memorial to her grandfather and a memento of a day with you.
Julia > Friday a beloved relative had foot surgery and died from a blood clot.
So sorry for the loss of a family member. It is good she wanted to stay with you during the church services. Why not let Yogi help her pass the time. Dogs always sense what a child needs. Barbara was in SC, now in FL
I think you already have some great ideas of your own and with the additional ones suggested here, I think you're golden. The little darling probably won't want to go home. I'd like to add my sincere condolences to you and your family on the loss of your loved one. I'm sure you are all stunned....I was when simply reading it. (That's MY age!) I know you are a source of comfort to your family as you are to our newsgroup. I hope someone can comfort and nurture you! KJ
Polly- you have all the activities covered...I think that just being with YOU and being able to talk about her grandfather in the midst of all the activities will be what she goes for.
my 16 yr old and my 8 year old...both still love baking and board games...usually played while the cookies are in the oven. it creates a Stop and do this, now back to the game, scenario. Do you have any pets? i'm betting if you do, she latches on to one of them quickly .
My condolences to you and your family. I know the idea of grieving and having a six year old around can seem contradictory..but she will remind you of the circle of life...and that both of you will enjoy yourselves immensley.
Lucky child to have you to look after her! She probably has questions that her nearest family might have trouble answering right now, and she might be sensitive enough to moods that she hesitates to ask. But if you could bear to talk about it, I'm sure it would be a real help.
And she's old enough to >Friday a beloved relative had foot surgery and died from a blood clot. He
Thanks and no thanks. The little one has gone to her grandmother's. We had a happy, busy time. I am Killed. No one mentioned the energy level of the
6 year-old. Someone should have warned me to take a nap before she arrived and to get help. I think I'll go to bed tonight with the chickens. I may go before that. Polly
I'm so sorry for your families loss, Polly. I recommend playing dress up also. It's a big hit with my little granddaughter. Hats, lots of jewelry, high heels, and some old prom formals or bridesmaid dresses are a big hit. I hope you both have fun together. Donna
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