September is such a full and lovely month. There is the beginning of a new school year, the first hints that another season is waiting just around the corner, Labor Day, apple season, and all the little traditions that begin to fill our calendars. And tucked into the middle of this beautiful month is another sweet occasion that is easy to overlook: Grandparents Day.
In the United States, Grandparents Day is celebrated on the first Sunday after Labor Day, which means that this year, Grandparents Day falls on September 13.
It is a holiday that does not require an elaborate celebration, expensive gifts, or a perfectly planned outing. In many ways, that is part of what makes it so lovely. A homemade card, a family meal, an afternoon together, or simply taking the time to listen can be more meaningful than anything elaborate. Grandparents Day can be a gentle reminder to pause and celebrate the people who have loved our children, shared their stories, and helped connect one generation of a family to the next.
A Little History of Grandparents Day
The idea for a national day honoring grandparents is largely connected with Marian McQuade of West Virginia, who began working in 1970 to establish a special day recognizing grandparents. Her hope was not only that families would celebrate their own grandparents, but that older adults, including those who might feel lonely or forgotten, would be remembered and appreciated.
West Virginia was the first state to officially proclaim a Grandparents Day in 1973. After years of effort, the idea grew into a national observance. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed a proclamation establishing National Grandparents Day, and the holiday has been celebrated annually ever since.
The day was placed in September, on the first Sunday after Labor Day, and it feels rather fitting that it comes during the beginning of autumn, a season so often associated with gathering, harvest, family, and remembering the things that have been passed down to us.
Simple Ways to Celebrate Grandparents Day
Grandparents Day does not have to be complicated. In fact, some of the sweetest celebrations are the ones that simply bring generations together.
-Make Homemade Cards
Children’s handmade cards are one of the simplest and most meaningful ways to celebrate. Bring out the construction paper, markers, stickers, watercolors, and crayons, and let everyone make something special.
Younger children can draw a picture, while older children might write a note about something they love about their grandparents or a favorite memory they share together.
It can also be sweet to include little questions in the cards, such as:
- What is your favorite thing to do with Grandma and Grandpa?
- What is your favorite memory with them?
- What makes your grandparents special?
Years from now, those little handwritten notes and crayon drawings may become treasures all their own.
-Gather for a Family Meal
One of the simplest ways to celebrate is simply to get together around the table.
Invite grandparents for Sunday lunch, an early supper, or even a relaxed afternoon meal. It does not need to be fancy. Serve favorite family foods, make a simple dessert, and enjoy the gift of having several generations gathered together.
Children can help set the table, make place cards, carry in drinks, or help prepare a favorite dessert. A simple family meal becomes a celebration when everyone takes the time to be fully present.
-Bake Something Together
Grandparents Day can also be a wonderful excuse to spend a slow afternoon in the kitchen.
Bake cookies, make apple crisp, stir together muffins, or prepare a favorite family recipe. If there is a recipe that has been passed down through the family, this is the perfect opportunity to make it together and hear the story behind it.
Even better, write the recipe down in your own family recipe book. There is something beautiful about children learning that a favorite dish has a story and that food can carry memories from one generation to another.
-Look Through Old Family Photographs
Pull out the old family photographs and let the children ask questions.
Who is this? Where was this taken? What were you like when you were little? What did you enjoy doing? What did your house look like? What was school like when you were growing up?
Children often love seeing their grandparents when they were young. Old photographs can open the door to stories that might not otherwise be told.
This can also be a wonderful opportunity to take some new photographs together. We take so many pictures of our children growing up, but it is worth remembering to capture them with the people who love them, too.
-Ask Grandparents to Share Their Stories
One of the loveliest Grandparents Day activities may simply be listening.
Grandparents have lived through different times, raised children, experienced joys and hardships, and gathered wisdom along the way. Children might enjoy asking questions about what life was like when their grandparents were young.
You could ask:
- What was your favorite thing to do as a child?
- What was school like when you were little?
- What games did you play?
- What was your favorite meal growing up?
- What did you want to be when you grew up?
- What is one of your happiest memories?
- What advice would you give to your grandchildren?
- What is something you hope our family always remembers?
You might even write down the answers in a little notebook. Those stories are part of a family’s living history.
-Have a Family Game Day
Bring everyone together for board games, card games, dominoes, or another favorite family activity.
Let the grandparents choose one of their favorite games from childhood, or teach the children a game they loved playing years ago. Grandparents Day can be a lovely reminder that fun does not always have to be elaborate. Sometimes a table full of people, a deck of cards, a bowl of snacks, and plenty of laughter is more than enough.
-Make a “Grandparents Interview” Book
Give each child a few sheets of paper and let them interview their grandparents. Add the answers, photographs, and drawings to a simple binder or scrapbook.
Over the years, this could become a beautiful family tradition. Children could interview their grandparents again every few years, collecting new stories and memories as the family grows.
-Enjoy a Simple Outing Together
Grandparents Day can also be celebrated with an easy family outing. Visit a park, take a walk, go to a local ice cream shop, visit a farmers market, or simply enjoy an afternoon outside.
The important thing is not necessarily where you go. It is the time spent together.
-Plant Something Together
For a meaningful activity, let the children and grandparents plant something together.
A small tree, a flowering bush, spring bulbs, or even a container garden can become a living reminder of the day. Every year, as it grows and changes, it can remind the family of the people and memories connected to it.
For Grandparents Who Live Far Away
Of course, not every family is able to gather together in person, and Grandparents Day can still be celebrated across the miles.
Children can mail handwritten cards and drawings, have a video call, send photographs, or record a short video message. A grandparent might even receive a small package filled with the children’s artwork, a favorite family recipe, or a few little things chosen especially for them.
Distance may change the way we celebrate, but it does not have to change the love behind the celebration.
The Gift of Being Together
Perhaps the most beautiful thing about Grandparents Day is that it reminds us to treasure the generations around us.
Children grow up surrounded by stories they do not always realize are important. The recipe Grandma makes without looking at a measuring cup. The stories Grandpa tells at the dinner table. The family traditions that have been repeated for years. The old photographs. The funny sayings. The lessons learned through a lifetime of living.
These things become part of a family’s story.
So this Grandparents Day, there is no need to create a picture-perfect celebration. Make the cards. Gather around the table. Ask the questions. Sit together a little longer. And perhaps that is enough.
Because one of the greatest gifts we can give our children is the opportunity to know the people who came before them, and one of the greatest gifts we can give grandparents is simply the reminder that they are loved, remembered, and very much part of the family story.
Happy Grandparents Day!