Send Some Homemade Love on Grandparent's Day

by Sue Johnson, Julie Carlson, and Elizabeth Bower

What better time than Grandparent's Day to teach children the joy that comes from doing something for someone they love?

On Grandparent's Day, help your children give or send an especially heartfelt remembrance to their grandparents, and create good feelings for all! With a few easy, inexpensive, and creative ideas from the new 5th edition of Grandloving: Making Memories with Your Grandchildren, your family can start a wonderful new Grandparent's Day tradition.

The trick is to set the stage and let your little ones' imagination take over!

• Create a collage of family photographs, laminate it into the shape of a placemat and send it to Gram and Gramps so the smiling faces will bring joy to every meal.
• Make a CD of "My favorite times with Nana and Papa are..." statements to send as a reminder of the importance of being together.
• Have your child draw a flower and insert their photo in the center, then draw a sun, pasting the grandparent's photo in the center. Caption it with "You are My Sunshine" and if your little one knows the words, have him sing the song on a CD or in person to accompany the gift!
• Make a little coupon booklet of things the children can do for their grandparents...everything from posing for a photo to helping rake the yard will be appreciated!
• Back your children's photographs with magnetic tape and send for display on the grandparent's fridge.
• Create a homemade video for Grandma and Grandpa. How about "Our Family History from the Eyes of Your Grandchild!" The whole family will treasure the results!
• Make a homemade puzzle card. Paste a photo of your child on cardboard, cut it into pieces and send with a note that says, "Put this together and see who loves you!"
• Make a list of "I love you because" statements to send to Oma and Opa to let them know how special they are.

These and other suggestions for creating strong bonds between parents, grandparents, and grandchildren are found in Grandloving: Making Memories with Your Grandchildren, 5th edition, winner of 8 national parenting awards.

A collection of over 225 fun and inexpensive activity ideas and insights from more than 350 families worldwide, Grandloving is a guidebook that can be used again and again all year round.