I have many pleasant memories of spending hours in the garden with my grandma as she taught me to harvest corn, tend tomatoes and prune roses.

She grew up on a farm in Arkansas and lived with us through my formative years. As difficult as it was she was committed to growing corn in the Arizona desert and our family made it work.

I learned to appreciate the skill it took to grow vegetables and work with your hands in the dirt. This time was priceless and a wonderful opportunity for my grandma to connect with me and teach me.

Gardening is an easy to do project that kids of any age can enjoy but don’t be afraid to tackle other do-it-yourself projects with your grandchildren and keep in mind it’s about the journey and not the destination.

Many household chores can be turned into fun activities such as raking leaves, sweeping walkways and cleaning cars.

Young children are easily distracted but if you can inject some fun and maybe a bit of competition and incentive into a project or job they will remain focused on the task at hand.

Make sure you pick age appropriate projects and it also helps to gear your projects to your grandchild’s natural interests.

What projects do you enjoy working on with your children or grandchildren?
Tell us in the comments section below.