A linkup between young and old has put smiles on faces of all ages in Bundoora.
The Grandfriends program has been running since August, and was capped off with a Christmas special this month.
The program involves four-year-old kinder children and residents at Bundoora Retirement Village.
Story House Early Learning Bundoora educational leader Nicole Andrews said the program was supposed to stop earlier, but the residents missed the kids too much to not have them back for more.
“The program ran over a four week period where the children and residents shared stories, drawings and music sessions together, and really got to connect with each other on many levels,” she said.
“We planned one more visit for December as the residents missed the children and wanted to do a Christmas celebration with them.”
Keren Robson, 79 who lives at the retirement village said she’s not sure if the kids or the residents enjoy the program more.
“I would love to do it again, they were just such a fun group to be with,” she said.
“They brought in 15 kids each session, it was great to meet them all.
“We had a lot of reading and played a few games and sang songs. They were dancing for us and giving us plenty of laughter.
“They were super kids, and we came home with a great feeling that you’ve helped them and they helped us, put a smile on our faces.
“I’ve seen a couple of the kids at the supermarket after, and they’ll smile and wave and get excited, we’ve made connections that last.”
Early learning service manager Lauren Campbell said she is very excited to continue this program in 2024.
– Gerald Lynch
