grandparents gifts

Grandparents Day and Gift Baskets For Children

Just GO TOGETHER! Celebrate YOUR Grandparents on their special holiday –

National Grandparents Day – Sunday, September 9, 2012

Just what is, “Grandparents Day” Anyway!

Mrs. McQuade’s concern for the elderly helped spark the idea of a day honoring grandparents everywhere. She spent five years of labor-intensive lobbying for the recognition of Grandparents Day.

In 1970, Marian McQuade began her campaign to create a day in special honor of grand-parents.

Ms. McQuade celebrated the First Grandparents day in that year-1970.

The first state to celebrate Grandparents Day (1973) was West Virginia

Governor Arch Moore gave reality to Mrs. McQuade’s dream.

Mrs. McQuade’s background was in working with seniors. In 1971, she was nominated Vice-Chairman of the West Virginia Committee on Aging and she was appointed as a delegate to the White House Conference on Aging by the then Governor Archie Moore.

The United States Congress passed the legislation for Grandparents Day in 1978 and President Jimmy Carter signed the bill and passed it into law.

Grandparents Day originated in the USA . President Jimmy Carter put it into law that Grandparents Day would be celebrated on the First Sunday following Labor Day.

Grandparents Day is celebrated every year on the first Sunday after Labor Day. For 2011 it is on September 11, which is also designated as, “Patriots Day.” In 2010, it was celebrated on September 12th.

The proclamation governs that the first Sunday following Labor Day is designated as National Grandparents Day in America.

The flower dedicated to Grandparents Day is called, ‘Forget-me-not.’ This official flower was decided by the National Grandparents Day Council because . . . ‘It not only reminds you of the relationship between grandparents, children and grandchildren, but also the fact that it created lasting memories for you.’

Gift Baskets For Children Grandparents Day Craft Ideas

Crafts and Things For Kids And Grandparents to Do together!

These are some craft ideas and activities that children can make on their own, or with the help of their special grandparents.

For a ‘fun’ activity you can make together – ahead of time, have kids create cards or arts and crafts to give to their grandparents in honor of Grandparents Day weekend.

If your child does not have a grandparent, they can still make an art or craft activity for their parents or for a meaningful adult in their life like a friend of the family, a special aunt, or beloved uncle.

You could also help your children make crafts that you could hand-deliver to a local nursing home or a retirement community, a senior center, or a lonely neighbor.

For many grandparents and grandchildren, for whatever different reasons, the particular Sunday that Grandparents Day falls on isn’t convenient for a celebration or a visit.

There are special things and activities that can be enjoyed with your Grandparents across the miles. Long distance communications work GREAT!

Grandparents love communication and sharing your life with them in pictures. Several free internet sites exist for family photo sharing, but if you really want to do something special teach grandparents how to assemble a picture and make a card on the internet and how to save it on their computer.
We use and love the free program called, “Picnik.com,” which is a free photo design site that lets you create and re-design photos and cards with borders, text, and design ideas. Grandchildren and generations of Big kids (Grandparents and parents) will love it! It is easy to use for any novice and has simple to understand directions that anyone could teach to a grandparent who was having trouble figuring things out.
Grandparents Day can be any day that grandparents and grandchildren come together to celebrate their relationship whether it be in person or via a web cam or telephone. Skype is a free web telephone you can enjoy together.

If Grandpa and Grandma don’t have a computer or don’t know how to set up Skype, ask a friendly neighbor or caregiver you know and trust to help them. Contact their local library to see if they have a computer for that particular use and make a date for Grandparents Day with your grandparent – at their library.

A Grandparents Day Gift Basket can make a grandparents day extra special this year.
Help your children make a special gift basket just for their grandparents that is cherished and remembered by those special grandparents and persons for whom they hold dear.
Grandparents enjoy the thoughtfulness of homemade gifts. Encourage children to make some special hand-made gifts to include in their Grandparents Day gift basket.
Make a personalized Grandparents Day invitation – together!
For the basic invitation shape use cardstock or scrapbooking paper to design the card. Use ANY shape – Heart, square, stacked boxes, triangle, . . . or something that has a special meaning for your family. Decorate the invitation so that you have lots of room for the invitation information – Date/Time/Place-with Address/Telephone Contact Information to RSVP or Get Directions. Personalize your invitations with the guests of honor name(s) listed in your heading.
Also guide your children in creating home-made gift items so that a grandparent who cannot sew because of trouble with their hands, doesn’t receive a hand-made sewing kit from a grandchild who doesn’t understand arthritis.

Keep in mind any allergies or conflict with medicines if you are going to be baking gifts – especially if they are going to a nursing home (include a list of the ingredients you used with the baked goods). If you order and send a special food gift basket, also find out (if you can) what the ingredients are and list those – in larger print on a separate not card for the receiver of your special gift.

Investigate local activities through your Parks and Recreation Department in your city. You may find several fun things to do – For instance Kids and grandparents may find that they can make their own old-time toys in a local, planned workshop. Give them a bonus and take their picture together as a reminder of that special activity and day.
Grandparents Day gift bags make great gift baskets too!
Make the bag as much a part of the gift as the things you put into it by getting those colored paper lunch bags for your children – but if cost is a factor then color brown paper sacks instead. Kids can fill the bag with hand created cards for their grandparents day. Have them include other special items like a colored picture or a couple of pieces of a grandparents favorite candy or a baked item.
Make a grandparents Day collage, have kids draw pictures of their grandparents, and create fun certificates or coupons to give as gifts for grandparents.
Writing crafts are great for older grandchildren – Even adults! Have grandkids write their thoughts down about what makes their grandparents special and you can even help them their writing into a special poem.

Here are some questions kids can ask Grandparents: The answers can help kids understand their grandparents better, forge a deeper bond, write special poems, special letters and/or put on special plays for grandparents using facts from their own past:

When and where were you born?
Where have you traveled? Do you have a favorite place you travelled to?
Did you belong to any school teams or recognized for an honor or achievement award?
What was your favorite thing – subject or otherwise – in school?
Who was your best friend from school?
Do you still talk to your best friend from school?
What was the name of your favorite pet?
What kind of pet did you have?
What did you do when you were my age for fun?
What is your favorite memory from your childhood?
What was your favorite song?
Did you play an instrument – which one? Do you still play that same instrument?
What do you remember the most about your own mom and dad?
What things have changed the most since you were my age? What did you want to be growing up – how did that change? How do you feel about that?
What things are different from when you went to school until my going to school now?
Who was your hero growing up? and why?
Who was your favorite athlete when you were college age – and why?
What has been your favorite age to be – and why?
What do you hope I learn and pass on from you as I get older?
If you could give me 1 piece of information about life, what would that advice tip be?

Other ideas for more crafts and things to do with Grandparents can include having kids create a short play they can act out for their grandparents.
Grandparents Day activities primarily center on those things grandchildren can create, do, or design for their grandparents – Even older kids can share in making crafts or donate their time to teaching a grandparent how to use the computer so that they can talk to each other more often (this can be done long distance too).

Fun Grandparents Day Books Fitting For A Staged Play by Grandchildren for Grandparents:

Little Red Riding Hood surprises a greedy wolf who is dressed in their grandma’s clothes and Little Red Riding Hood saves everyone by teaching the wolf a lesson about respecting your elders.
Old Mother Hubbard, or several of the rhymes from the Grimm’s fairy tales stories and rhymes – there are over 200 to choose from! Classics such as Rumpelstiltskin, Goldilocks and The Three Bears, Hansel and Gretel, plus many more. These classics make fun and easy plays for even the youngest actor or actress that any Grandparent would clap their hands in glee to see!