Mothers and fathers both have a special holiday, so why not grandparents? Many times grandparents have a special impact in their grandchildren’s lives. So this year celebrate Grandparents Day. Which just happens to be this Sunday September 10th. Here are some ideas that you can use to let your grandparents know how important and loved they really are.
Record the Memories
Schedule a time when your children can go and visit their grandparents. Before hand come up with a list of questions that your child can ask their grandparent. (It’s a good idea to give grandpa and grandma the list beforehand as well. That way they can be prepared.) You might ask questions like scariest/most memorable childhood experiences, funniest thing that happened to them, special holidays, hobbies that they had, or how they met their spouse. (Click here for some other question ideas.) Then let your child video tape or use a tape recorder to capture the questions and answers. We have a tape of my grandmother sharing her favorite childhood memories that I treasure.
Share A Favorite Memory
Have your child write down or dictate and then illustrate a favorite memory that they have of their grandparent. Then they can give it to their grandparent as a gift.
Write a Poem
Write a poem or essay about your grandparents. Before writing ask yourself questions like: Why you love them? What makes them special? What things you like to do with them? Then use your answers to write something special.
Design A Coat of Arms
During the Middle Ages each royal family would have a special symbol that represented their family called a coat of arms. For example King Richard the Lion-hearted’s symbol was a lion. Create a coat of arms for your own family.
To make your coat of arms cut a piece of poster board into a shield shape. You can use one symbol to represent your family or divide the shield into four different sections.
In each section put a different symbol that represents your family. You might put a symbol representing where your ancestors came from for Ireland you could use a four-leaf clover. Then include something about the type of work that your ancestors or grandparents did. If you have sailors in the family draw a boat or if your ancestors were farmers draw some wheat or corn. In one part of the shield you could put a symbol that represents something that you like to do with your grandparents like reading stories. In the last part of the shield try drawing something that shows how you feel like a heart or a ring for eternity. On the back of the shield be sure to include an explanation of what each symbol means.
There are many ideas at Families.com for Mother’s or Father’s Day that could easily be used for Grandparent’s Day as well.