The Role of Grandparents in Children's Development

There is strong evidence that grandparents often make a positive contribution to family welfare; and that these benefits accrue to the entire family––children, parents and grandparents. Some surveys suggest that grandparents often have more time than working parents to help children and can give a welcome break to busy and tired parents. With the rising number of single-parent families and those where both parents hold down full-time jobs, grandparents can be of great importance to the family and to the day-to-day life and welfare of a child.

Among the benefits for children are emotional support, a source of life experiences and wisdom, positive role models, understanding of family history and traditions, moderation of stress, and childcare. Grandparents can be important in a child’s life because they can help children develop their social skills, improve academic performance, and foster emotional well-being.

Although it may be difficult to quantify the influence of grandparents, studies have shown that having actively involved grandparents can help children grow in confidence, cope with stress and have fewer behavioral issues as they get older.

Grandparents help their children be better parents
In the U.S. and Europe about half of grandparents provide at least some support for care of grandchildren, not just during working hours, but also by providing significant assistance at other times. This becomes especially important in times of crisis or special need such as after a parental death, a divorce or military deployment. The assistance of grandparents may also be critical to support the continuing employment of one or both parents who are unable to afford childcare.

When in doubt about how best to care for their children, parents often ask other mothers or go online for answers. But often the source of parenting information they trust the most is their own parents (usually their mothers or mothers-in-law), more than friends, pediatricians or websites. The experience and wisdom of grandparents can be especially helpful and calming in moments of parental frustration or panic.

Here are ways that grandparents help their grandchildren:
Providing Emotional Support
By being a good listener, hugs, or simply spending time together, grandparents can provide emotional support by offering unconditional love and a sense of safety and security. Grandparents can serve as a sounding board for their grandchildren’s thoughts and feelings and offer a wealth of experience and wisdom that can help their grandchildren navigate difficult situations.

By modeling healthy emotional expression and providing guidance on coping with strong emotions, grandparents can help their grandchildren learn to manage their feelings healthily and constructively.

Research has shown that children with close relationships with their grandparents develop a sense of belonging, are less likely to experience symptoms of depression and anxiety and tend to have better emotional regulation skills. This can lead to improved social and academic outcomes. By providing a buffer against the harmful effects of stress and adversity, grandparents can help their grandchildren develop the resilience and coping skills they need to thrive.

Offering Life Experiences
By sharing stories about their own lives based on their accumulated lifetime of knowledge and wisdom, grandparents can help their grandchildren develop a greater sense of perspective and a deeper understanding of the world around them. Grandparents can offer anecdotes that parents may not recall or recount about their upbringing. These stories help children to humanize and better understand their parents while connecting with their grandparents over story time.

By exposing their grandchildren to new and different experiences such as on trips, introduction to new hobbies or interests, or spending time together doing things they both enjoy, grandparents can help their grandchildren develop a greater sense of perspective, curiosity, and appreciation for the world around them.

Serving as Role Models
Grandparents can serve as role models for their grandchildren. They can use their life experiences to model positive values and behaviors and demonstrate to the importance of honesty, hard work, and perseverance. They can also provide their grandchildren with a strong sense of family and cultural identity by sharing their family’s history, traditions, and cultural heritage. This can help their grandchildren develop a greater connection to their family and community.

Grandparents can also demonstrate graceful aging and help counteract negative stereotypes about aging. By modeling positive values and behaviors, providing a sense of family and cultural identity, and demonstrating a positive approach to aging, grandparents can help their grandchildren develop into confident, well-adjusted adults.

Providing Caregiving Support
Grandparents can provide care for their grandchildren when the parents are at work, going through a divorce or facing other significant life challenges. They can offer emotional support and a safe environment for their grandchildren outside of the children’s own homes. This is particularly important during times of stress or difficulty.

Caregiving support can take the form of practical assistance with everyday tasks, such as helping with homework, preparing meals, or providing transportation to and from activities. In addition to offering direct caregiving support, grandparents can also help facilitate access to other resources such as a therapist or other mental health professional, sports or other extracurricular activities, or assist with finding resources for academic assistance.

By offering practical and emotional support, facilitating access to resources, and providing a safe and supportive environment, grandparents can help their grandchildren thrive and overcome challenges.

Improved Academic Performance
Research has shown that children who have close relationships with their grandparents are more likely to have higher academic achievement than those who do not. Grandparents can provide their grandchildren with a supportive environment that encourages learning and intellectual development.

Grandparents can help their grandchildren with homework, offer guidance on study strategies, and share their knowledge and expertise on various subjects. They can also read with their grandchildren, play educational games, and engage in other activities that promote learning and cognitive development. Older generations may enjoy teaching skills such as sewing, cooking, baking, and woodworking, passing those arts down to their grandchildren.

Grandparents can provide a valuable perspective on education and its importance. By sharing stories of their educational experiences and successes, grandparents can instill a love of learning and a motivation to achieve in their grandchildren. They can also serve as a source of encouragement and support during challenging academic times.

In addition, grandparents can help facilitate access to educational resources and opportunities for their grandchildren, such as enrolling them in extracurricular activities, finding tutors, or assisting with college applications.

Studies have found that both grandparent-grandchild closeness and help with homework was positively associated with the grandchild’s educational attainment and academic achievement. By providing a supportive and stimulating environment, offering guidance and knowledge, and fostering a love of learning, grandparents can help their grandchildren excel academically.

Improved Emotional Well-Being
Grandparents can provide a sense of stability and security, especially during times of stress or upheaval. In addition to being a source of comfort and support they can offer a different perspective and wisdom and help their grandchildren develop resilience and coping skills.

Research has shown that children with close relationships with their grandparents are less likely to experience emotional and behavioral problems, including depression, anxiety, and aggression. By providing emotional support and guidance, grandparents can help their grandchildren navigate difficult situations and create a sense of self-efficacy. This can lead to improved emotional well-being and greater confidence and security.

Grandparents can provide stability, comfort, and wisdom, helping their grandchildren navigate life’s challenges and develop essential skills and traits for emotional resilience.

Enhanced Social Skills
In addition to academic and emotional benefits, grandparents can positively impact their grandchildren’s social development. Spending time with grandparents can provide children with opportunities to develop social skills such as communication, empathy, and cooperation.

Grandparents can be positive role models for their grandchildren, modeling good social behavior and providing guidance on interacting with others. They can also provide a safe and supportive environment for their grandchildren to practice and develop their social skills.

Research has shown that children with close relationships with their grandparents have better social skills, including higher levels of empathy and fewer behavioral problems. In addition, spending time with grandparents can provide children with opportunities to interact with people from different generations and backgrounds. This can help them develop a broader perspective and understanding of the world and a greater appreciation for diversity.

Overall, the relationship between grandparents and grandchildren can provide essential opportunities for social development. By serving as positive role models and providing a supportive and safe environment, grandparents can help their grandchildren develop critical social skills and values that will do them well throughout their lives.

Grandparents can have a positive influence child development
The relationship between grandparents and grandchildren can positively impact children’s emotional and behavioral well-being. By providing a stable and supportive environment, offering guidance and support during difficult times, and helping children maintain a sense of continuity and stability, grandparents can help their grandchildren develop into happy, healthy, and well-adjusted adults.

Suggestions for Grandparents on How to Best Support their Grandchildren’s Development
Grandparents can play an important and positive role in grandchildren’s lives. Here are some tips on how to best support grandchildren’s development:
Engage in Active Play

• Participate in physical activities with your grandchildren, such as walking, playing catch, or swimming.
• Encourage outdoor play and exploration, such as visiting parks or nature walks.
• Engage in imaginative play with your grandchildren, such as playing dress-up or creating art projects.

Read Together

• Spend time reading books with your grandchildren, and encourage them to ask questions and share their thoughts on the stories.
• Take your grandchildren to the library or bookstore to help them discover new books and authors.
• Consider starting a family book club where everyone can read and discuss the same book together.

Foster a Sense of Curiosity and Exploration

• Encourage your grandchildren to explore their interests and try new things.
• Plan educational outings like visiting museums, science centers, or historical landmarks.
• Share stories from your own life and experiences to inspire your grandchildren’s curiosity about the world around them.

Increasing numbers of grandparents care for their grandchildren during the day or have legal full custody of their grandchildren, making them surrogate parents. These grandparents have a particularly strong influence.

Grandchildren provide benefits to grandparents
There is some research suggesting that that if grandparents are too heavily committed and their required childcare duties are too intensive, they could become depressed and have a negative effect on their grandchildren. However, most research has found that grandparent’s mental health is supported and that grandparents have a positive influence and are valuable in the lives of their grandchildren. They are part of the village parents need to raise their children

Wise parents foster strong relationships between grandparents and grandchildren. Letters, phone calls, videos, audiocassettes, sharing of schoolwork, and personal contact where possible all build beneficial bonds of love and friendship between the generations.

Grandparents usually benefit from having their children and grandchildren in their lives. These relationships can be very important to the physical and mental health of the elderly, especially when they become increasingly isolated because friends or a spouse becomes ill or dies. Some grandparents welcome helping their grandchildren because it gives meaning to their lives and gives them a second chance to do as well or better at child-rearing.

Grandchildren can help their grandparents live longer. One study found that those who babysat their grandkids had a 37% lower mortality rate compared to people of the same age who did not have consistent childcare duties. This may be because older people who care for younger children have a greater sense of purpose, remain active, and spend their days in ways that stimulate cognitive functions.

Unfortunately, some parent’s families refuse to let grandparents establish or maintain meaningful relationships with grandchildren. Parents sometimes even limit access to grandparents out of spite. However, courts routinely recognize children’s right to see their grandparents after a divorce.

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