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Grandparents Day Crafts and Activities

Education World teamed up with Grandparents.com to provide fun classroom activities and resources to celebrate Grandparents Day and recognize the important role that grandparents and special relatives play in the lives of our students.

Marian McQuade first campaigned to recognize grandparents with a special day back in 1970. In 1972, Gov. Arch Moore established a day for grandparents in McQuade's home state of West Virginia. Then, in 1979, Grandparents Day went national when President Jimmy Carter issued the first Grandparents Day proclamation. Ten years later, in 1989, the U.S. Postal Service honored McQuade with a commemorative envelope bearing her likeness to acknowledge the holiday's anniversary. Sadly, McQuade passed away in 2008 at the age of of 91. She was the mother of 15, the grandmother of 43, and the great-grandmother of 15.

When President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation creating a National Grandparents Day, little did anyone know how it would grow. At the time, Carter said the holiday would recognize "the importance and worth of the 17 million grandparents in our nation." Now, 30 years later, there are more than 70 million grandparents in the United States.

On September 13, 2009, Grandparents Day will reach its 30th anniversary. Like Mother's Day and Father's Day, it's a time for family celebration and a chance to honor the important role grandparents play in children's lives.


More "Grand"
Activities

Find more activities for recognizing Grandparents Day in this Education World resource.

Ten Grand Activities for Grandparents Day
One of the first holidays of the new school year, Grandparents Day, will be observed on Sunday, September 13. With all the work to be done at the start of classes, have you had an opportunity to plan your celebration? If not, don't panic. The Web is your source for grand ideas for Grandparents Day. Included: Ten activities for celebrating this special day.

GRANDPARENTS DAY CRAFTS

Accordion Photo Card
A cheerful, multifaceted display for toddlers and preschoolers to make.
 

 

Materials:

  • Two sheets 8 1/2-inch x 11-inch card stock, 1 dark pink, 1 magenta
  • 1 sheet of light pink construction paper
  • Drinking glass with 2 1/2-inch diameter for tracing circles
  • Family photographs
  • Scissors
  • Pencil
  • Ruler
  • White craft glue

Instructions:

  • Trim the sheets of card stock by 3 1/4 inches lengthwise so that each measures 11 inches x 5 1/4 inches.
  • Trim 1/2 inch from the end of each piece so that each measures 10 1/2 inches x 5 1/4 inches.
  • Lay the pieces out horizontally and mark each piece of card stock at 3 1/2-inch intervals so that you have two light pencil marks separating three equal sections of cardstock.
  • Fold the card stock along the lines in the opposite directions so that the folded pieces are 3 1/2 inches x 5 1/4 inches and form a Z shape.
  • Overlap the end pieces of the two different folded card stocks and glue them together so that you have 5 faces on each side.
  • From the light pink construction paper, trace five circles, cut them out and glue them onto the faces of the card.
  • Select an array of family photos and trim them to fit within the circles.
  • Inside each light pink shape attach a snapshot with adhesive glue dots.
  • Display your photos on the nearest table or mantle.

Portable Photo Album
A great gift for grade-schoolers to make for grandparents on the go.

Materials:

  • One 8 1/2-inch x 11-inch piece of blue card stock
  • Scissors
  • Ruler
  • White craft glue
  • One 4 3/4-inch x 3 1/2-inch scalloped oval in blue card stock (available at most stationery stores)
  • 1 sheet of 1-inch diameter round white labels
  • Alphabet rubber stamps
  • 1 yard 1/8-inch thick blue ribbon
  • Two 8 1/2-inch x 11-inch white construction paper
  • Adhesive glue dots
  • Family photographs

Instructions:

  • Fold the card stock in half so that it is 5 1/2 inches long x 8 1/2 inches high.
  • Trim the folded card stock so that it is 5 1/2 inches long x 4 1/2 inches high.
  • Center the scalloped oval on the front of the folded card stock and glue it in place.
  • Using the alphabet stamps, spell out the name of the grandparent on the round labels, one letter per circle.
  • Arrange these lettered labels on the scalloped oval to spell the grandparents name.
  • Trim the white construction paper so that you have 2 pieces that are 10 1/4 inches x 4 1/2 inches.
  • Fold the construction paper in half so that you have 2 folded pieces that are 5 1/8 inches long and nest one inside the other.
  • Put the two nested pieces inside the folded cardstock and tie a ribbon around the folded edges of the three pieces, creating a book with 4 pages.
  • Attach family pictures to the pages with adhesive glue dots and present them to your grateful grandparent!

Multi-Generation Hanging Frames
Older grandchildren can show off the family resemblance in one fabulous craft.

Materials:

  • Three 4-inch x 6-inch clip frames (available at any frame store)
  • One yard 1 1/2-inch wide orange-and-yellow striped ribbon
  • Orange embroidery thread and needle
  • Scissors
  • Ruler
  • One 8 1/2-inch x 11-inch sheet of orange card stock
  • One 8 1/2-inch x 11-inch sheet of yellow card stock
  • One photograph of the grandchild, trimmed to 3 inches x 3 inches
  • One photograph of the grandchild's parent, trimmed to 3 inches x 3 inches
  • One photograph of the grandparent, trimmed to 3 inches x 3 inches
  • Adhesive glue dots
  • White craft glue

Instructions:

  • Trim the orange card stock so that it fits flush with the glass of 2 of the clip frames.
  • Trim the yellow card stock so that it fits flush with the glass of 1 of the clip frames.
  • Take the ribbon and cut a piece that is 20 inches long.
  • Centered at the top of the piece of ribbon, sew a loop 1-inch long with the embroidery thread and make sure it is securely tied onto the ribbon (don't worry how it looks since it will be hidden).
  • Orient the frames horizontally and glue the ribbon so that it runs along the center of each backing piece, leaving 2 inches between each frame.
  • Place the card stock on the backing pieces of the frames on top of the ribbon and glue into place so that the colors alternate.
  • Center a photograph on each of the pieces of card stock and secure it with an adhesive glue dot.
  • Put the glass on the top of the photos and backing and secure in place using the two side clips.
  • Using the remaining ribbon, tie a bow and glue it over the base of the embroidery thread loop. Once the glue is dry, trim the ribbon ends so that they sit at the top edge of the uppermost frame.

MORE ACTIVITIES FOR GRANDPARENTS DAY

Grandparents Day diamond poem. Grandparents Day is a great time to think about how much your students' grandparents mean to them. They can describe how they feel about a grandparent, or someone else who is special to them, in a diamond poem. A diamond poem starts with a description of one thing, then switches to a description of something else. It's easy to write one by following the directions on this printable page. When students are done, they can read their diamond poems from the top or the bottom.

More activities for Grandparents Day. Use our printable pages to make a special Grandparents Day card or to provide a fun Grandparents Day word search puzzle for kids to do on their own or with their grandparents.

Coloring pages. The following coloring pages come from the folks at grandparents.com.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

You can find many more ideas and resources for helping kids celebrate their grandparents on Grandparents.com's Grandparents Day pages.

Article by Gary Hopkins
Education World®
Copyright © Education World


Last updated 09/04/2012