Email
PrintGrandparents: It’s Party Time!
We’ve always known our grandparents were special, but did you know in 1978, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaimed the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day? So, why not plan a special party to show Grandma and Grandpa just how much you love and appreciate them? Here are some ideas to get you started:
The Invites
You can find premade Grandparents Day party invitations online or at most party supply stores, but why not involve the kids in making a special invitation? Most grandparents love cards of any kind made by young ones! Simply fold construction paper or card stock in quarters to make a card and gather some photos of Grandma and Grandpa. Have the kids cut out the pictures and glue them to the front of the card. You can handwrite or use your computer to add the details of the party: time, date and location. Ask guests to bring copies of their favorite pictures of family members (old and new), so you can make a family tree.
The Theme
You can use the family tree as a theme for your party by decorating with branches and trees. Make a beautiful centerpiece using a medium-sized tree branch and attaching small picture frames with photos of grandparents, great-grandparents and great-great grandparents or as far back as you have photos.
The Food
This isn’t the time to try new recipes or foods because family favorites are the order of the day. Let the kids participate in planning the menu and in making food for Grandma and Grandpa. Just like the invites, grandparents love to have their grandkids make things for them. If dinner is peanut butter and jelly sandwiches made by my grandkids, I’m going to LOVE it! Depending on the age of the grandparents and the kids, this might be a perfect time to ask Grandma to teach the grandkids to make one of her special dishes.
The Activity
Grandparents Day is a wonderful opportunity to involve everyone in a family-inspired craft such as making a family tree. When you sent your invitations, you asked everyone to bring family pictures, now put those pictures to use!
Before the party, draw a tree with many branches on a large sheet of white paper and place it on the wall. Gather everyone around and have Grandma and Grandpa help you identify names to include on the branches. Mark the names of the family members on the branches and help the kids find pictures to match the names. This exercise will give your grandparents time to reminisce and will make it easier for the kids to understand their ancestry.
Consider capturing this activity on video to have a permanent record of family memories and stories from Grandma and Grandpa.
Another way to put your video camera to work is to film everyone telling a favorite story about their grandparents. The youngest kids can be asked to complete the sentence: “I love it when Grandma _____.” Older kids can tell a story about a favorite memory and so on. Grandparents Day gives everyone a chance to relive memories of their own grandparents, even Grandma and Grandpa. An added bonus is that you can create a wonderful holiday gift from this video. What a wonderful keepsake not only for grandparents, but for everyone in your family!
If your grandparents are deceased or if they live too far away to make a Grandparents Day party possible, why not gather the kids and host a Grandparents Day party at a local nursing home or assisted living center? The kids can sing songs, bring some treats and just spend time with their “surrogate” grandparents.
A party to show grandparents how much they are appreciated – how PERFECT is that?
