These ‘Grandma Activities’ Are Back at the Heart of Our Communities

“I realized an untapped labor market in Tulsa: in many cases, that is our immigrant and refugee population who speak little to no English but have the skill and desire to work from home, along with the need to maintain important family obligations like caregiving while they work,” she said. 

“Through the translation options within YouTube, I am able to provide not only training to them but build a sense of community among all those watching together and learning new skills.”

She knows sewing has an important role in our modern world with the data to prove it — “the traffic on my channel shows that sewing is a skill that people are prioritizing and the fact that we all still get dressed every single day means sewing is here to stay.

Younger generations have become increasingly interested in ethical fashion and ending “fast fashion,” as 66 percent of textiles end up in landfills. Haning said investing in sustainable, higher quality clothes and knowing how they are made and how to alter them has a lifelong payoff.

Baking 

Kristen Baileys, founder of Bake Eat Love in Raleigh, North Carolina, helps people learn to cook through baking kits. She believes the scarcity of sweets in previous generations led to a gift. “This necessity fostered a vibrant culture of home baking, bringing families and communities together through the joy of creation and sharing,” she told AARP Experience Counts.

“Somewhere along the way, convenience culture took hold and we traded homemade delights for mass-produced pastries.” This wasn’t good enough for her, so she built her career with her husband, who is in the Navy.

She said there was a disconnect between the amazing baking we see on television and our own skills to bake for our families. “While baking may seem like a relic of the past, it remains a crucial skill with surprising relevance in our modern lives. 

“We're bombarded with baking inspiration from TV shows, artisanal bakeries, and social media influencers. However, this abundance of visual stimulation masks a troubling reality: most people today no longer bake from scratch.”

Gardening

“There’s a lot of satisfaction in eating the food you took time to grow,” Family Handyman shares in a YouTube video on “Old School Life Skills that are Making a Comeback.” Gardening is a soothing and sometimes even meditative activity that connects you to the earth, and helps you save money as well. Seasonal veggies are easy to start with, and gardening can teach you skills like patience, how to recover from failure and how to enjoy the fruits of your labor — even if it took a while to develop your green thumb.

Knitting

An activity that used to bond grandparents and grandchildren, knitting is a calming pastime, experienced a revival as a hobby for younger generations, with some reports showing an 150 percent increase in interest between 2000 and 2011. For some, it’s about fashion — chunky knitted blankets are alluring and cozy, as are cozy sweaters with the ultimate bragging rights that you made it yourself. For others, it’s just about having fun.

Making jam

If you are frequently throwing out mushy fruit you just never used in time, making jellies and jams is for you. Aside from reducing waste, people who make their own jam know exactly what’s in it, without any fillers, chemicals or too much added sugar.

You can also experiment with different types of fruits to see which combination works your palate. Jams always make greatly appreciated gifts.

Bottom line

If you have a secret skill you picked up from a previous generation, it’s time to pass it on. Don’t underestimate the benefits of sharing your expertise, from beekeeping to craft beer brewing, or canning and pickling. The young are eager to know about these timeless essentials.