Celebrate Grandparents Day!

Make Their Day

Four Fun Ways to Celebrate Grandparents Day

By Amy Crelly

Grandparents Day is Sunday, September 7th this year! Consider it the perfect opportunity to show Grandma and Grandpa (or Nana and Papaw or Granny and Pop-pop...) how much they are loved, not to mention how much you appreciate all that baby-sitting and cookie-baking, the handyman help and the storybook readings.

Most grandparents want nothing more than to connect with family. When they live close-by, connecting can be as simple as inviting Grandma and Grandpa over for dinner and breaking out their favorite board game or card game after the table has been cleared. If it's possible, consider hosting a family gathering at a fun, central location (like a favorite restaurant). Even if only a few local relatives can make it, there's no gift as precious as time spent together.

But even if the miles to Grandma's house are too long to deliver flowers and cards in-person, you can still make her day extra-special with a phone call and these gift ideas that show how much you care:

• Help the kids create a book entitled Why We Love Granny, each page filled with one of the kids' reasons and an illustration to go with it. 
  
• Older kids can brainstorm all the things they love about a grandparent and write them on slips of paper (think fortune-cookie fortunes), to fold and place inside a card. From "the best lasagna in the world" to "our times playing catch" or "the way you always tell me you love me," they might come up with "50 Things We Love You For, Grandma!" No matter how many the family comes up with, it's a great exercise in love and gratitude.
  
• Create a CD for Grandma or Grandpa with a playlist of their favorite songs. If you're not sure where to start, send the kids on "a mission" to find out about the songs they courted to, the songs that played at their wedding, their favorite kind of music, etc. Of course, you could also just ask. The real gift may be giving your parents or in-laws the chance to share the memories that go with each of their favorite melodies. If there are songs both you and your parents enjoy, or songs they sing with the grandkids, those are great candidates to include. You might even record your little one singing and make that the last track.
  
• Load a digital photo frame with some of Granny's favorite pics. The slideshow might trace the family history, from her grandparents to her grandkids' latest accomplishments, or it might just show off your children's milestones.

Happy Grandparents Day!