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Grandparents Reading Book With Baby Granddaughter At Home
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Celebrate Grandparents Day With These 10 Super Sweet DIY Gifts & Crafts

Happy Grandparents Day! On Sunday, September 8th (the Sunday after Labor Day), the U.S. will be celebrating a day dedicated to all the grandparents out there. And what better way to celebrate than with some fun DIY gifts/crafts perfect for Grandparents Day that you can give to the special people in your life? Whether they’re your grandparents, your child’s grandparents, or anyone you cherish who fills that time honored role of taking care of the younger generations, they'll treasure your efforts forever.

Grandparents Day officially started in 1979 after President Jimmy Carter made an official proclamation. But it started as a grassroots campaign in 1973, by Marian Lucille Herndon McQuade, the Legacy Project website explains. Mrs. McQuade, “... had 15 children, 43 grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild,” making her perhaps one of the greatest experts on grandchildren. She hoped the holiday would be a way to appreciate the role that grandparents take in supporting the new generations, and to bring together families and encourage reunions. One way to show your appreciation is to give the grandparents in your life a special hand-made gift, or plan some time to do a craft or other activity together, so you can cherish the memory. Here are some heartwarming DIY ideas for this Grandparents Day.

1

A (Creative) Family Tree

A great way to show your appreciation for your family and heritage is a good old fashioned family tree. It’s a nice way to let your parents or grandparents know you’ve been listening to all their family stories all these years. It’s also a caring gesture in that you put in the time and effort to research your family history. Here are a few printable designs from the Burlap and Blue blog that you can use for your family tree, or you can make your own!

2

Custom Photo Planter

This Burlap and Blue DIY photo planter of pictures of the grandkids and family is a great way to you appreciate your roots (luckily for me, my parents love bad puns, too). It’s a fun way to combine the gift of a cute houseplant, with photos of loved ones. You could even top it off with a trip to a botanical garden.

3

Kissy Face Photos

Especially nice for grandparents who live far away, this fun kissy photo idea from Delia Creates is adorably goofy. It’s a way to send “kisses” from your grandkids, and all you need is a camera and a glass window or door. Of course, some kids might like to get creative with more extreme face-smooshing and nose-pressing, so have some Windex on hand.

4

Tiny Handprint Hearts

Scientists have been hard at work discovering why tiny handprints melt the hearts of grandparents. While it remains a medical mystery, there’s nothing stopping you from capitalizing on the magnetism of tiny handprints to craft this adorable heart project from Burlap and Blue for a loving grandparent. It’s a great idea for cards, but it could also be painted and framed.

5

Heirloom Ornaments from Family Photos

These beautiful ornaments courtesy of The House That Lars Built are a fantastic idea for Grandparents Day. They're gorgeous enough to hang anywhere in the house (not just on Christmas Trees). With printed-on vintage photos of family, and adorable embroidery, these will certainly become cherished gifts. It’s a great way to show how you will carry on the stories of those special in your life.

6

Bumble Bee And Butterfly Foot Print Towels

These adorable kitchen towels from Creative Green Living use your child's footprints to make little butterflies and bees. The cute handmade design is made even better by knowing it's the one-of-a-kind footprint of your own grandkids! You could even get creative and add some handprint flowers.

7

Book Recording

This is a novel idea from Delia Creates: using one of those "record yourself reading" books, but inverting it so it's the child reading aloud the book. It'll be a lovely gift for a grandparent to hear their grandchild's voice, and to have a children's book at the ready for when you visit. You could even record custom messages that shows how much your children love their grandparents.

8

DIY Photos Coasters

These coasters from the Julie Blanner blog are almost too cute to put drinks on. It's a great way to give the grandparents in your life photos of their loved ones, that also functions as something practical. Bonus points if you combine this idea with the kissy photo craft listed earlier!

9

Custom Playing Cards

It might be more difficult to keep a poker face with these cards. The Girl Loves Glam blog points out you can use Shutterfly (or other photo processing services) to print out custom playing cards. Your ace in the hole can be photos of the grandkids.

10

Pop Tart Hearts

This adorable home made pop tarts recipe from Sugar & Cloth is sure to be a hit with the kids and the grandparents! The recipe is simple enough that your kids can have fun rolling out dough, using a cookie-cutter, and decorating, so they can proudly tell their grandparents that they've baked them a treat. They'll be a cute treat to share on Grandparent's Day.