Grandparents Day: Its Story, and How to Make It Count

It's one of the quieter holidays on the calendar. No fireworks, no big dinner, often no card aisle display until the week before. And many families only notice it when a school sends home a craft. Which is a shame, because Grandparents Day is about some of the most important people in a child's life.

Here's when it is, how it started, and simple ways to celebrate that grandparents actually love.

When is Grandparents Day?

In the United States, National Grandparents Day falls on the first Sunday after Labor Day, which puts it in early-to-mid September. Because it's tied to Labor Day, the date changes every year.

Other countries have their own days for grandparents, on different dates. Italy, for example, celebrates grandparents on October 2. If your family has roots elsewhere, it's worth asking older relatives whether they grew up with a similar day.

How Grandparents Day began

The U.S. holiday is closely associated with Marian McQuade, a West Virginia mother and grandmother who campaigned for years for a day to honor grandparents and to encourage young people to connect with older people in their communities, including those living alone or in nursing homes.

Her efforts led to a statewide day in West Virginia, and later to national recognition. In 1978, a national Grandparents Day was established, and President Jimmy Carter signed the proclamation setting it on the first Sunday after Labor Day.

That original purpose is worth remembering. Grandparents Day was meant to be less about gifts and more about connection, including with older people who don't have grandchildren nearby.

What grandparents actually want

Ask most grandparents what they'd like and you'll hear some version of "nothing, I have everything." Push a little further and the real answer comes out: time, attention, and evidence that they matter to the grandkids.

That's why the most-loved Grandparents Day gifts are rarely expensive. They tend to be:

• Made by the grandchild: drawings, cards, letters, crafts
• About shared moments: photos, memories, "remember when"
• A promise of more time together: a planned visit, a regular call, a standing date
• Things they can show off, to friends, neighbors, the people at church or the club

Grandparents Day activity ideas

If you live nearby

• Spend the day doing their thing. Gardening, fishing, baking, a walk to their favorite spot. Let them teach the kids.
• Interview them. Kids can ask: What was your school like? What games did you play? What did your house look like? Record the answers.
• Cook a family recipe together, with grandparents in charge.
• Look through old photo albums and ask for the stories behind the pictures.

If you live far away

• Schedule a video call with a plan: a show-and-tell, a story read aloud, a drawing session where everyone draws the same thing.
• Mail a drawing or a letter. A real envelope in the mailbox is still a thrill.
• Send a photo of the grandkids recreating an old family photo.

At school or in the community

Many schools hold Grandparents Day events in the fall. If your child's grandparents are far away or no longer living, a neighbor, a great-aunt or a family friend can be a wonderful stand-in. That was Marian McQuade's idea all along.

Gift ideas grandkids can make

The best gifts for grandparents usually come with a small person attached.

• A portrait of grandma or grandpa. Ask the child to draw them doing what they love. Ours often draw one thing bigger than everything else: the hug, the umbrella, the garden. Our film The Rain Likes Grandma is about a child who drew grandma holding an umbrella over her on the walk to school.
• "What I love about you" lists, written or dictated
• A handprint or footprint keepsake with the date
• A memory jar: slips of paper with favorite moments together
• A photo book with captions written by the grandkids

A gift they'll wear

If your child makes a drawing of a grandparent that stops you in your tracks, it may be worth more than a spot on the fridge. Our film The Longest Arms is about a grandpa who wears his grandkids' drawing of a hug that wraps around the whole family. Another, No Numbers, is about a grandma drawn with a clock that has no numbers on it, because with her there's never a rush.

At ANORA, we embroider children's drawings on hoodies and T-shirts, stitching them as the child drew them. You can upload a drawing here and preview it first. Production and U.S. delivery take approximately 12 business days from the start of production, so plan ahead for a September date.

Making it a yearly tradition

Grandparents Day works best when it's a ritual rather than a scramble. A few ideas:

• A yearly drawing: the same prompt each September, "Draw you and grandma," kept in a folder. Watching the drawings change over the years is a gift in itself.
• A yearly photo in the same spot
• A yearly letter from each grandchild about what they did together that year

In ten years, that folder will be one of the family's treasures.

Frequently asked questions

When is Grandparents Day in the U.S.?

National Grandparents Day is the first Sunday after Labor Day, in September. The exact date changes every year.

Who founded Grandparents Day?

Marian McQuade of West Virginia is widely credited with leading the campaign. A national day was established in 1978, with a proclamation signed by President Jimmy Carter.

Is Grandparents Day a federal holiday?

No. It's a national observance, not a federal holiday, so offices and schools stay open.

What is a good Grandparents Day gift from a grandchild?

Something the grandchild made: a drawing, a letter, a craft, or a photo book with their own captions. Time together, even a planned video call, often means more than anything bought.