"Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present and future." – Gail Lumet Buckley
National Grandparents Day is the Sunday after Labor Day annually in the U.S. and the second Sunday in September annually in Canada. Grandparents Day is celebrated around the world at different times of the year.
About Grandparents Day
On this day, people across the U.S. and Canada honor the contributions their grandparents (and other significant elders) have made to their lives. In 1978, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaimed Grandparents Day a national holiday to recognize "the importance and worth of the 17 million grandparents in our nation."
Today, the U.S. has more than 70 million grandparents, and according to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), 4.5 million children are raised in households headed by grandparents.
Marian McQuade, a West Virginia woman who wanted to encourage people to recognize the wisdom and heritage of the elderly in nursing homes, began the campaign in 1970 and is recognized as the founder of Grandparents Day. McQuade herself was the mother of 15, grandmother of 43, and great-grandmother of 15.
Family History Project
Through activities that celebrate their grandparents, children can learn about their own heritage. Grandparents-Day.com provides printable sample Grandparents Day activity sheets, which kids can assemble into simple family history projects such as the following:
- Interview a grandparent.
- Fill out a family tree diagram.
- Research the family's country of origin.
Finish off the project with the "hand in hand" art keepsake activity and assemble all the completed pages into a memory lap book.
More Printables for Grandparents Day 2010
More printables for Grandparents Day can be found at the following sites:
- Grandparents.com hosts a special page for Grandparents Day 2011. It includes crafts, printable coloring sheets and cards, songs and poems, quotes, and more.
- Kaboose.com has a special Grandparents Day page with instructions for handmade crafts, homemade cards, printable activities, and more. The Scrapbooking 101 page gives some creative ideas for preserving and presenting old family photos.
- LegacyProject.org provides a selection of downloadable grandparent award certificates, printable activity sheets (i.e., the "I love you because..." heart, pop-up flower card), "Across Generations Activities" (i.e., instructions for drawing a grandparent's portrait from a photograph), and a list of recommended children's books about grandparents.
Fun Facts About Grandparents Day
As of 2004, the official song of Grandparents Day is "A Song for Grandma and Grandpa" by Johnny Prill. U.S. Senator told Prill, "You have put into words the unique relationship between grandparents and their grandchildren."
The official flower of Grandparents Day is the forget-me-not. Grandparents-Day.com provides printable "forget-me-not" nursing home visit tickets.
For more fun ideas for recognizing the impact of grandparents on our lives, see Mother's Day Printables and Father's Day Printables. After all, grandparents are mothers and fathers, too.
Sources:
Thomaselli, Rich. "The History of National Grandparents Day." Grandparents.com, 2010.
Bosak, SV. "The History of Grandparents Day." LegacyProject.org, retrieved September 2010.http://www.grandparents.com/gp/topics/national-grandparents-day.html?clktrk=home_subnav-1
Sara McGrath - Sara is a veteran homeschool mom of three, Usborne consultant, and the author of Unschooling: A Lifestyle of Learning.
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