According to a study called "the Game and Toy in today's society" conducted by the Famous Garamarama, 80% of Spanish grandparents have become the new playmates of their grandchildren due to the extension of professional schedules, lack of siblings to play with, and also the greater life expectancy.
Of course, it is not uncommon for parents and children to have little opportunity to share leisure time for work reasons. On the other hand, there has been a tendency for grandparents to take care of their children full time until they are three years old and then take care of picking them up from school.
From the Children's Game Observatory of the Spanish Association of Toy Manufacturers, they point out the importance of intergenerational play for both the elderly and children. "They have time, wisdom, experience and patience, and that makes them great playmates." The children of today find in their grandparents the perfect allies to play and communicate; and with them they learn to relate, to respect shifts, rules, to think.
I think we all remember with tenderness the moments spent with our grandparents, they transmitted experience, love and attachment to traditions, and all this without feeling obliged to take care of us, because that's what parents were for. Actually grandparents are the ones who unite children with their past, What an important role! true?. The pedagogical consultant Imma Marín, member of the Observatory of Children's Games and president of IPA in Spain (International Association for the right of children to play), notes that “the game is a source of joy, vitality, optimism, humor. Children themselves are a source of life for grandparents, especially if they do not become an obligation. ” And remember that “the game that is played with others creates very important complicities and emotional ties. Grandchildren and grandparents playing is an enriching image for both. ”
Also, Marín emphasizes that “the grandparents who play with their grandchildren create invisible ties with them, they recover their inner child and feed their ability to play, which affects their physical and mental health. By sharing their games with the little ones, they reaffirm their self-esteem and feel more valued. ” In the case of children, the pedagogue indicates that for them it is a treasure because “they will feel understood, valued and loved. They will listen carefully to the stories that the grandparents explain to them and learn their games and ways of playing. Grandparents are 'wise' adults willing to listen and share their time having fun with them playing… is there a better way to feel loved? ”
What are the best games and toys for intergenerational play?
Games and toys must be according to the child's age and that the most important thing is to share and enjoy them with them. In this sense, it indicates that the little ones love to play those games that their grandparents propose and teach them. If they are older, they will enjoy sharing their interests with grandparents.
As for the type of games, Imma Marín does not exclude between current and old games and toys; while for Andrés Payà (University of Valencia), "it is perhaps the traditional and popular, along with certain classic board games the most recommended for this purpose." That is because "in them the players move or evoke past times in which the simplicity of the materials and the rules formed the playful essence of such an educational and pleasant activity at the same time."
The search for the game or the right toy for this type of games must adapt, as the experts indicate, to the characteristics and needs of the child, as well as the type of game, for this there is a very useful tool, Ludomecum, a page web where to adapt your search and find information about the qualities of each product.
What is clear in my opinion is that children must have time and spaces to play, and when they stop being small they need their peers to develop their games, although parents and / or grandparents can continue to practice as “guides "
