Passing down calm

“Learning by head, hand, and heart.” —Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi (1746-1827)

I’ve read a number of articles lately about this hot trend called “Grandma hobbies.”  Think: knitting, crocheting, baking, needlepointing, sewing, quilting, gardening, crafting, etc. The trend even hit the Olympic athletes! As I watched some of the Games, the broadcasts featured several stories about athletes using knitting or other “analog” activities to calm themselves before their ski run or unwind from competition afterwards.  My favorite thing was hearing about how Breezy Johnson made her children sweaters with the Olympic rings on them—without a pattern!! I loved seeing that!

Since many of these types of hands-on hobbies have always been a part of my life and how I enjoy spending time, I find it interesting and wonderful that the “doomscrolling” generation is driving a resurgence in slowing down and enjoying the rhythmic calming of some of these artforms. 

These “making” activities are all hands-on and have been described as providing mental health benefits such as relaxing, improving focus, and counteracting digital overload—I strongly agree!  I find it calming and satisfying to use my free time to engage in my many Grandma hobbies, and my family is always commenting on Gigi’s knitting, rug hooking, or sourdough baking—and my kids are already talking about handing down to the next generation things I am making for my grands now! 

I learned most of these skills from my mother and grandmother...and am excited to teach them to my grands over time. When we grandparents pass on this type of productive “making” to our grandchildren, we aren’t just filling time, we are creating shared rituals and experiences, offering undivided attention, and passing down a joyful family legacy.  We are passing down calm. It is a way to say, “come sit with me,” and “let’s make something together.”  This can be very powerful part of the grandparent-grandchild relationship and help your grand build skills around attention, focus, productivity, resilience, and more, skills that are harder to establish in today’s digital world. 

PS - Have you checked out Discovery Museum’s new podcast, Discovery Soundbites? They are short (<10 minutes), digestible Q&As with a range of experts focused on kids and families. Authors, educators, psychologists, community leaders, doctors and more answer three questions from CEO Marie Beam. Discovery Soundbites are available wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more here! 

What simple skill or hobby could you share with your grandchild? Do you remember learning something from a grandparent? How might you pass that along? What quiet gift are you passing down that your grandchildren may one day carry father than you can imagine? Comment below or email me at gpdiscoveries [at] gmail.com (gpdiscoveries[at]gmail[dot]com).