A Day at Grandma's🧺

The day starts as usual at Gran and Grandad’s: breakfast at the kitchen table, a walk to the postbox, perhaps a cake baking in the oven. Then the rain starts, and Gran suggests looking for something in the attic.

Inside a box with Gran’s name on it are things from when she was little: a photograph with bent corners, a map drawn in pencil, a toy nobody remembers how to use. Each object becomes a story, and the map leads out into the garden or down towards the lake. Where it leads, and what Grandad once hid there, is for you to discover.

This idea suits children who often visit their grandparents, sleep over at their house or spend summers with them. It works just as well with a step-grandparent or a great-grandparent, because you choose who takes part.

A three-year-old will enjoy the cakes, the cat on the doorstep and the secret box. An eight-year-old might wonder what life was like long ago: no mobile phones, different toys and a Gran who was once just as small as they are. Why does she go quiet for a moment when she looks at one particular photograph?

Describe the grandparents’ home, their pets and their habits: the crossword at breakfast or the flowers in the garden. If you have a real object from their childhood, perhaps a doll, a wooden car or an old pencil case, it could go in the box. Add what your child calls them, whether that’s Gran, Nana, Nonna or something entirely their own, so the story feels right.

After reading, you could call or visit and ask about something from their childhood. Look through old photo albums together and see whose faces you recognise. The book also makes a lovely gift from grandparents; see Gifts from grandparents.