"Hot -- and Not" List

What You Need: Two copies of the sheet below (one for grandparent to complete and one for grandchild); pen/pencil.

Doing It:

Intergenerational communication is a two-way street. A grandchild can listen to their grandparent's stories to find out about the past, and the grandparent can also find out about their grandchild's world in the present. Understanding the world in which children, particularly teenagers, live is key to maintaining a meaningful relationship with them.

This activity works especially well with older children and teenagers. A young person and their grandparent each complete a "Hot -- and Not" List. The young person fills in their "hot" column with the current "coolest" things. Under "Not" the young person identifies the absolute worst, most embarrassing, "wouldn't be caught dead with!" things. The grandparent can complete their own "Hot -- and Not" List by thinking back to when they were the young person's age.

After you complete the lists, explain, compare, and discuss them!

You can view and print the sheet below in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). If you don't already have it, you'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer. Acrobat Reader is available free of charge from the Adobe Website. Click on the link below to download and install your free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader.

Once Acrobat Reader is installed on your computer, just click on the sheet below. Allow up to 2 minutes for the sheet to download and appear on your screen. Note: If you're using Netscape 6, you may not be able to view the page automatically. Call 1-800-772-7765 for more information.