The miraculous bond between grandparents and grandchildren is one of God’s biggest blessings and one of the best examples of God’s boundless unconditional love working within a family. It’s amazing that none of us would be here without a set of grandparents, and most of us would not be the people we are today without our grandparents’ love, support and influence in our lives.
Grandparents not only share wisdom and advice, but many of us can also easily recall times they’ve dried our tears, calmed our fears, reassured us we are special and most of all, loved. This year, Grandparents Day falls on Sunday, September eighth. Here are some fun ways to help your kids show their grandparents how special they are.
Make a Memory Book
Grandchildren of all ages can browse through family photo collections and pick out photos that commemorate significant events in the family. It may be also fun to find photos of grandparents when they were young, with their parents, and progress forward through time through as many generations as you can find.
Assemble the photos in a scrapbook album or binder, with special papers, borders, stickers and captions. If you have access to a scanner, you can scan photos into a computer and upload them to a digital scrapbook site. There, you can help design a custom memory book, adding clip art or text as desired.
Order printed and bound copies for both grandkids and grandparents to keep. This kind of project is great for capturing special events like recitals and sports activities out-of-town grandparents might miss due to geographical challenges.
Poem Recital or Special Skit
Writing a poem and reciting it or creating a skit and then performing it are two creative ways kids can tell grandparents what they mean to them. Kids don’t have to worry about being Emily Dickinson or William Shakespeare. They can simply write an acrostic poem spelling out grandma and / or grandpa and hold up a sheet of paper one letter at a time and read them aloud.
Families with multiple grandkids can line up and each read a passage on an index card about why grandma or grandpa is special and give them the stack of cards to keep. Videotape the messages and then mail the hard copies and video to out-of-town grandparents.
Handmade Artwork
Nothing is more precious to proud grandparents than crafty creations from little artists with big hearts. Whether it’s a simple message written in crayon saying “I Love You Grandma” or “#1 Grandpa,” a picture depicting a special time you shared, or a keepsake box made from ceramics or popsicle sticks, handmade artwork is a one-of-a-kind gift that is sure to bring a smile.
Lend a Helping Hand
Use hospitality one to another without grudging. —1 Peter 4:9, KJV
God wants us to help each other. Grandparents do countless nice things for their grandchildren. On Grandparents Day, help kids give back to grandma and grandpa and fulfill God’s commandment to be hospitable.
Arrange for them to spend as much time as possible helping their grandparents with age-appropriate tasks or chores. They can fold the laundry, walk the dog, dust and vacuum, whatever they want or need!
Treasured Time Together
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. —John 13:34, KJV
A precious gift we can give our grandparents is treasured time together. Help kids show their love for their grandparents by physically being together on Grandparents Day. Let grandma or grandpa pick an activity to share and help when needed with younger grandkids. Going for a walk, watching a movie, playing a game or just spending time talking and reminiscing are great things to do.
If grandparents live in another city, call them or connect on Skype. During the visit or phone call, kids can thank their grandparents for something they’ve taught them or tell them what they love most about them.
Above all other gifts, kind and loving words are something we should share often and freely. Grandparents can cherish them forever, especially when they live apart from family.