As the old saying goes, grandchildren are your reward for putting up with your children.

Being a grandparent allows you to experience the pleasant aspects of raising kids without the more stressful bits. You get to experience unconditional love, teach them new experiences, and watch them grow. Most grandparents won’t have to stay up late with worry and experience those angsty teenage years. One of the most stressful parts of having children is the time and financial commitment, which typically falls to the parents. Therefore, the grandparents have more freedom to spoil their grandchildren. Multiple studies found that spending time with grandchildren can have a positive impact on their grandparents’ health, both physically and mentally. Therefore, grandchildren can keep you healthy.

Once children begin to crawl and walk, keeping up with them becomes a full-time job. They have higher energy levels and shorter attention spans, so seniors move more when they babysit. Engaging in physical activity, which is the regular daily movement of our bodies and skeletal muscles, is the #1 way to prevent the deteriorating effects of age on our health and mental state. This does not have to include physical exercise, which involves planned activities to improve physical strength and skills. In other words, you don’t need to take up skiing to reap these rewards. The preventative benefits from increased physical activity can be achieved by simply walking in a park, making crafts, gardening, or even baking cookies.

Maintained physical activity is associated with lower instances and prevalence of diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases. Seniors who engage in activities such as swimming, walking, and gardening also show increased strength and energy levels. Living an active lifestyle also produces better quality of sleep, fewer reports of stress, and a decrease in depression. So the next time your grandchild comes to visit, suggest a trip to the community pool or park to keep them entertained.

Besides keeping you more active, grandchildren can also boost your immune system. Interaction with small children exposes seniors to new germs. This can be beneficial for both parties. When exposed to touch, such as hand holding and hugs, the body creates more white blood cells (cells that fight off disease) and fewer inflammatory cells. However, it is important to remember that this only holds true if neither party is sick. Both Small children and seniors are more likely to catch a contagious disease. If you are babysitting while a grandchild is sick, doing so may increase your chances of contracting an illness.

A recommended way to keep an aging mind sharp is to solve children’s puzzles and memory games. Furthermore, it is also beneficial to learn new tasks, such as finding out how to use a social media outlet. Seniors who engage in social media scored higher on social and cognitive tests in a study by the University of Arizona.

The Women’s Healthy Aging Project conducted a study on 186 women aged 57-68 and found that women who babysat a grandchild one day a week had greater cognitive ability than those who didn’t. They also found that these women had a lower risk of developing cognitive disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease. These findings support the theory that social engagement can reduce the risk of developing dementia in seniors. However, the study found that caring for grandchildren more than 4 days a week actually decreased the women’s working memory and processing speeds, thereby lowering their cognitive performance. These grandmothers also reported feelings of stress and resentment. Too much social engagement can overload the brain’s processing centers and make it more difficult to pick out and retain important information. So while babysitting in small doses can benefit your health, excessive caregiving can have the opposite effect.

As children reach adulthood and begin to start families of their own, some seniors experience feelings of loneliness and isolation. Caring for grandchildren can give purpose to grandparents who feel unneeded or burdensome to those around them. Spending time with grandchildren, friends, and social groups enhances seniors’ lives in multiple ways. The emotional support given in a grandparent/grandchild relationship can increase the mental health of both parties. This is true for older grandchildren, too. A close relationship with adult grandchildren was linked to fewer symptoms of depression for both generations.

Lastly, while touch can heighten your immunity, it can also lower your stress levels. Touch increases levels of oxytocin, otherwise known as the love hormone. Walter Nieri, MD, a geriatrician at Banner Sun Health Research Institute in Sun City, Ariz, says, “A kiss or holding hands gives a sense of calmness, peacefulness, and security if you’re under stress.” Furthermore, grandchildren give grandparents new milestones to look forward to, so they are more likely to take their health seriously. Familial love is powerful, and it encourages people to be around for as many birthdays, weddings, and new baby announcements as possible.

Time with grandchildren is not only about today. It is also about building a legacy. Grandparents pass down values, traditions, cultural history, and life lessons that shape how grandchildren see the world. Sharing family stories, teaching skills, cooking traditional recipes, or explaining family history helps children develop identity and resilience.

This legacy benefits grandchildren emotionally and socially. Children who feel connected to their family history often have stronger self-esteem and a greater sense of belonging. Grandparents also gain a sense of purpose and fulfillment knowing their influence continues beyond their lifetime. These shared experiences create lasting memories that strengthen family bonds for generations.

Spending time with grandchildren offers meaningful physical, emotional, and cognitive benefits, but balance is important. Occasional caregiving and shared activities support health, while excessive responsibility can lead to fatigue or stress. The goal is joyful engagement, not exhaustion.