In 1973, Marian McQuade wrote the governor of West Virginia and asked him to announce a special day for grandparents and their grandchildren. In 1978, Sen. Jennings Randolph of West Virginia introduced a bill into Congress that designated the first Sunday after Labor Day as National Grandparents Day.

National Grandparents Day is a great day to visit your grandparents, write them a letter or telephone them to let them know they are loved. Strengthening the special bond between grandparents and grandchildren enriches both generations. If you don’t have a grandparent living nearby, adopt one! You might make a foster grandparent of an older person in your neighborhood or church. Enriching relationships frequently result from young and old sharing and doing things together.

 Grandparent Memories

This gift will make your grandparents feel very loved year after year. Create a special memory album for your grandparents. Using photos or magazine pictures, use each page to recount a memory of a special experience that you have shared with your grandparents.

 Write about such things as:
    • Remember the day we went fishing together?
    • Remember the day you pulled my loose tooth?
    • Remember our vacation at the beach?
    • Remember the ice storm when we stayed at your house
       for four days?
 

Family Art Quilt

    Create a decorative lasting family memory.
    Fabric crayons
    Typing paper
    Muslin or other lightweight fabric (quilt blocks)
    Border fabric, backing, and batting

Have everyone in the family make drawings on typing paper with fabric crayons. Any letters and numbers must be written backward so that they read correctly when held up in a mirror. Permanently transfer the drawings to muslin or another lightweight fabric following the directions on the fabric crayon package.

Taped or Video Letters   

Even young children who can’t yet read or write can record a taped letter to Grandma and Grandpa. Have them start by talking about current family happenings and things that are important to them. For grandparents with a video player, let your child act out a favorite story or choreograph a dance. Little voices singing songs and telling stories will brighten the day of grandparents living far away. 

Treasure Album

This special scrapbook could also make a great Christmas present for a hard-to-buy for grandparent. Get a good quality oversized scrapbook. Use rubber cement and photo corners for the best looking results. Paste mementos such as artwork, outstanding school papers, photographs, and pressed flowers in the book. The children can write appropriate comments on the pages. This can be added to every year for Grandparents Day.