Grandparents and grandchildren share a special relationship, so shouldn’t there be a day to honor their love? As it turns out, there already is! Grandparents’ Day is celebrated annually the first Sunday after Labor Day.
To help you celebrate this holiday, Dr. Fran Walfish, a family psychotherapist, Sue Johnson, author of “Grandloving: Making Memories with Your Grandchildren” and Sandy McCumsey, a grandmother from Streator, Illinois, share simple but thoughtful Grandparents’ Day ideas.
What is National Grandparents’ Day?
Unlike “Hallmark holidays,” National Grandparents’ Day is a holiday with actual roots. Initiated by Marian Lucille Herndon McQuade in West Virginia, the holiday, as McQuade envisioned it, was created to promote intergenerational bonding and family time. Officially passed in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter, the Sunday after Labor Day was formally named National Grandparents’ Day.
Activities for Grandparents’ Day
Whether you want to do a craft together or treat Grandma or Grandpa to something special, here a few ideas to commemorate the special day.
1. Make a photograph craft
Grandparents love photographs of their favorite kids, so incorporate pictures into a project. Lauren Nicole Holt has a great how-to on TikTok for this impossible-to-resist photo flower pot. So cute!
2. Interview grandparents
Times have changed since grandparents were young, and kids will be fascinated to find out what life was like when grandma and grandpa were growing up. Grandchildren can interview their grandparents about their childhood and record their findings.
McCumsey recalls that when she completed this activity with her granddaughters, “They were amazed that we didn’t have a television when we were really young.”
Here’s a list of questions to get you started: 20 questions to ask your grandparents about their lives.
3. Perform a song
A performance dedicated to your grandparents will be a special memory. Organize all of the cousins to sing a song for grandma and grandpa. If grandparents live far away, Johnson suggests sending a recording of the children singing.
4. Offer thoughtful services
Grandparents give a lot to their grandchildren, so the kids can use their own abilities to reciprocate. Johnson suggests that you, “Make a little coupon booklet of things the grandchildren can do for the grandparents.” Children can offer to pose for a picture, do yardwork or wash the car.
5. Make a special recipe
According to Walfish, “The No. 1 thing grandparents want most from their grandchildren is time.”
Spend a day in the kitchen where several generations work together on a special treat or dish. This a great time to have grandma or grandpa share a favorite family recipe with the younger generations.
6. Record your family’s history
Family trees, scrapbooks and personal anecdotes gathered from various relatives can all be special keepsakes. Johnson suggests parents film a video called something like, “Our Family History from the Eyes of Your Grandchild.”
7. Have a mini movie marathon
Make it double feature day by having grandma and grandpa cozy up on the couch with the grandkids for two flicks — one they’ve chosen and one the kids have picked. Everyone will love the time they get to spend together, and by giving each group a pick, it’s giving them the opportunity to share their personal and cultural tastes.
8. Plan a sleepover
Walfish recommends that adults coordinate a sleepover for the grandkids at the grandparents’ house. Since the purpose of the party is to encourage grandparent-grandchild bonding time, make the event easy on the grandparents by having a pizza delivered or providing breakfast food and juice.
9. Send a homemade card
A card is a loving gift for grandparents both near and far, especially if it’s handcrafted. Provide your children art supplies, such as paint, colorful paper scraps and stencils, and see what they come up with. This cute Grandparents Day card from K Kids Play is super cute and very simple to create.
10. Deliver a meal
“The kids can organize planning, preparing and serving a meal to grandma and grandpa,” proposes Walfish. Include some of the grandparents’ favorite foods. Deliver it to their house or invite the whole family over to enjoy the meal together.
11. Talk a walk down memory lane — literally
Whether grandma and grandpa grew up down the street or an hour away, take the family for a stroll to places like their first home, their high school and their former favorite haunts. Not only will they cherish the time together as a family, they’ll love explaining — and moreso, showing — everyone how they grew up.
12. Start a new tradition
Just because it hasn’t been passed down from generation to generation — yet — doesn’t mean it can’t become a tradition. Whether it’s baking an apple pie together each fall, grabbing a cozy hot cocoa in the winter or strolling through the same public garden every spring, there are loads of mini traditions grandparents and their grandkids can incorporate into their lives. No activity is too small!
13. Wear coordinating shirts
Fact: Exactly zero grandparents will be able to resist an adorable matchy-matchy shirt with their grandkids. Older kids may be a little more difficult to get on board, but the younger set will jump at the opportunity to coordinate with their favorite person.
Where to buy: Matching t-shirts (Adult and toddler t-shirts starting at $16, Tee Master Co/Etsy)
14. Share what you love
Words of appreciation are a treasured gift. McCumsey remembers a time when her grandchildren made a book about the things they like to do at grandma house. Walfish suggests having a family meal, where the kids “go around the table taking turns expressing words of appreciation” for all the good things grandparents have done for you.
No matter what you decide to do in honor of Grandparents’ Day, if it’s done with love, it will special to grandma and grandpa.
“I have saved everything that I have ever done with [my grandkids] on Grandparents’ Day,” says McCumsey. This year, set aside this holiday to honor the grandparents in your life with these meaningful ideas.
