Activities for Grandkids of Different Ages: When They're 5 and 10 at the Same Time — Grandkids Guide

The single hardest grandkid-day challenge is a 5-year-old and a 10-year-old at the same venue. The 5-year-old wants to stay in the toddler zone for another twenty minutes. The 10-year-old is done with toddler zones and wants to know if there’s a gift shop. You’re in the middle.

This is the situation that most activity guides ignore completely. Here’s how to handle it.

The Fundamental Problem

Five-year-olds and ten-year-olds have genuinely different needs:

5-year-old: Shorter attention span, physical limits, needs to feel capable, prefers repetition over novelty
10-year-old: Longer attention span, wants challenge, needs some autonomy, is easily bored by things perceived as “baby stuff”

The venues that work for both are the ones where the activity scales — where the 5-year-old can participate at one level and the 10-year-old at another, in the same space.

Venues That Actually Scale

Mini Golf

This is the best mixed-age activity in Fairfield County. A 5-year-old can push the ball toward the hole as many times as needed without judgment. A 10-year-old can take it seriously, count strokes, and feel genuinely competitive. They’re playing the same course at the same time.

Tip: Don’t keep official score. Let the 10-year-old keep their own score. Don’t let the 5-year-old know there is a score.

Local options: Gateway Fun Center (Southbury), and several seasonal mini golf courses throughout the county.

Beardsley Zoo, Bridgeport

Zoos are one of the few venues where younger and older kids are genuinely interested simultaneously — just in different things. The 5-year-old wants to stare at the otters for ten minutes. The 10-year-old wants to find the biggest animal. Neither of these conflicts with the other.

Tip: Let each grandkid pick one “their” animal to visit again on the way out. The 5-year-old picks the farm area. The 10-year-old picks the snow leopard. Everyone gets a return visit.

Stepping Stones Museum

The age range at Stepping Stones is technically 0–10, but in practice it skews younger. That said, the Energy Lab and the physics-based exhibits hold up for 10-year-olds if they’re curious kids. The question is whether the 10-year-old is willing to be in a space they associate with younger kids.

Tip: Go on a weekday. Weekend crowds make the 10-year-old more aware that they’re surrounded by toddlers. Weekday mornings have fewer small children and the older grandkid relaxes.

Beaches and Parks

Open-ended environments are forgiving of age gaps. At Sherwood Island, the 5-year-old is digging in the sand and the 10-year-old is exploring the shoreline or fishing off the rocks. These aren’t inherently different activities — they’re both “beach” — so neither feels like they’re doing the other one’s thing.

Key feature: Bring equipment specific to each age. A bucket and shovel for the 5-year-old; a fishing line or a snorkel mask for the 10-year-old.

Bowling

Like mini golf, bowling scales naturally. Bumper lanes level the physical playing field. The 5-year-old throws the ball slowly; it still knocks pins down. The 10-year-old can try to bowl correctly. Both experiences are legitimate.

Tip: Let them cheer for each other. Make it a team thing rather than a competition between them.

The Reframe That Actually Helps

The underlying issue is that grandkids at different ages are competing for your attention, not just for the activity. When the 10-year-old is “done,” they often mean they want a different kind of engagement — more direct, more conversational.

The best mixed-age days usually have a moment where you split: one of you takes the 5-year-old to the sandbox while the other walks the 10-year-old to find something more interesting. It doesn’t have to be long — 15 minutes of undivided attention goes a long way.

Browse venues by age range and grandparent-friendly features: grandkidsguide.com/fairfield-county-ct/