DIY Gift Ideas for Grandparents Day
Last Updated: September 7, 2018
Create legacy gifts together this Grandparents Day. These do-it-yourself (DIY) gift ideas teach each generation about the other and provide lasting gifts for both young and old.
Read on to see our gift ideas for Grandparents Day 2018.
Grandparents Share Gifts With Us
One of my earliest memories is sitting on a tall kitchen stool watching my grandmother and great-grandmother as they rolled out homemade egg noodles. I can close my eyes and still smell and taste the flour in the air and hear my grandma’s laugh. I remember my great-grandma telling me how her grandmother taught her to make noodles and how she taught my grandma when she was a little girl and when I was a little older she would teach me so that I could someday teach my future daughter.
“Young people need something stable to hang on to — a culture connection, a sense of their own past, a hope for their own future. Most of all, they need what grandparents can give them.” — Jay Kesler
I was only about four years old at that time, but looking back, I realize that was my first glimpse of being part of a family history that started long before I was born and that would continue long after I was gone.
This is the gift that grandparents and great-grandparents share with their grandchildren; a guide map to the future and a shared history.
Gift Ideas for Grandparents Day 2018
I know that many times grandparents are unsure if their grandchildren enjoy their company or if they seem like fossils to the digital kids of today. I encourage grandparents and grandkids to meet in the middle and combine the history of the older generation with the technology of the new generation.
Here are several Grandparents Day gift ideas that can be enjoyable for all ages:
- Have your grandchild help you scan old photos and place them into a digital album along with the story behind the photo.
- If you do any fabric work such as embroidery or quilting, help your grandchild to create a photo frame for some of their own photos.
- Jewelry can also often be repurposed into new creations that your grandchild will love to show off both for its beauty and connection to family history.
- Search old music websites and create a slideshow with photos and music appropriate to the time when the photo was taken.
- One more great activity for Grandparents Day, especially for younger children, is to have the child pretend to be a reporter and ask questions such as:
- What games did you play?
- What was your favorite toy when you were my age?
- What were birthdays or holidays like?
- Who was your favorite pet?
- Tell me about a time you got in trouble at school
- What was a school day like when you were little?
It is more difficult to do activities together if you are living in different parts of the country, but technology has brought us more options such as email, FaceTime and Skype.
Most grandparents don’t need more things that collect dust, however, many seniors want to learn and use more technology but aren’t sure how to start. Combining a technology gift with regular FaceTime or Skype calls from a grandchild to instruct how to use the device is a gift that would benefit both generations.
My great-grandmother died before I was able to learn how to make egg noodles with her, but I will never forget sitting in that warm cozy kitchen and watching as her hands flew through the dough.
I am who I am today because of the love and life lessons that I received from all of my grandparents and I will always cherish both the knowledge and the time spent with them.
Did you create legacy gifts with your grandparents while growing up? Do you have any suggestions to add to our Grandparents Day gift list? Share them with us in the comments below.
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