Celebrating National Grand Parents’ Day – Sunday, September 11th
With Grandparent’s day quickly approaching, we couldn’t let it pass without remembering some of the most important people in our lives, our grandparents.
Does anyone else have a special place in their heart for their grandparents?
Did you know? Grandparents day kicks off National Assisted Living Week which is September 11-17th!
I love to recall all the good times we had together while I was growing up, the trips to the ice cream shop after school, the going out to dinner wearing my Sunday best, and the swimming parties at their house. When I look at my grandparents I think of how much love and joy they brought into my heart. Today is a great day to honor them and their amazing tribute they play in your life.
We honor our grandparents every day. Let’s appreciate the joy and wisdom that Grandparents bring to our lives.
“Grandparents are a family’s greatest treasure, the founders of a loving legacy, The greatest storytellers, the keepers of traditions that linger on in cherished memory. Grandparents are the family’s strong foundation. Their very special love sets them apart. Through happiness and sorrow, through their special love and caring, grandparents keep a family close at heart.” — Unknown
10 ways to celebrate Grandparents’ Day
1. Make a photograph craft
Grandparents love photographs of their favorite kids, so incorporate pictures into a project. Johnson suggests making a placemat by laminating a photo collage or adding magnetic tape to the back of a photograph for a special refrigerator decoration.
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. 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.
5. 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.
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. 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.
8. 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.
Johnson has another creative idea: “Make a homemade puzzle card. Paste a photo of the grandchild on cardboard, cut it into pieces and send with a note that says, ‘Put this together and see who loves you!’”
9. 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.
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.
“ Grandparents make the world a little softer, a little kinder, a little warmer.”
History of Grandparents Day
Marian McQuade hoped to establish a national day that would honor grandparents, and in 1970 she began a campaign to do so. McQuade raised awareness about senior citizens throughout the 1970s. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter declared the first Sunday after Labor Day to be National Grandparents Day. Each year, the president issues a proclamation to keep the tradition going.
