Did you know that Grandparent’s Day is a holiday in some countries of the world? In the United States it’s recognized in early September. But we don’t need a special day on the calendar in order to honor grandparents. We can help our kids honor them any time of the year! I want to share 5 easy ways (and some free downloads) to help your kids honor grandparents or another older adult who loves them.
When you think about your own grandparents, what memories and thoughts surface? When you think of your children’s grandparents, what thoughts and feelings surface? Cookies? Lemonade? Hot cocoa? Warm hugs? Maybe your children are blessed with a deep, tight relationship with grandparents that is full of love, acceptance, and involvement. Or maybe it’s complicated, sad, or even traumatic. Maybe your children live really far away from their grandparents and seeing them in person is few and far between. Ask God to give you wisdom in knowing what’s best for you and your children. He loves you, he loves your kids, he loves their grandparents. Perhaps if honoring biological grandparents is difficult or impossible, maybe God has sent an older couple in your life or church who fills that space for your children. You can absolutely honor them as grandparents and thank God for putting them in your life/ your children’s lives. Those relationships are a gift from God’s loving hands.
Whether grandparents are in the picture or not, God promises his presence, help, and healing. He can also give your family opportunities to love and honor older folks in your life whether they’re blood related or not. If you’d like to celebrate Grandparents’ Day (or just celebrate grandparents!) here are five ideas of how you could help your kids honor their grandparents (or honorary grandparents).
1. Homemade Cards or Pictures
Many kids enjoy drawing, coloring, or doing paint-by-sticker pages. Encourage your kids to make something for their grandparents, and then give it to them or send it in the mail. The kids could write their favorite Bible verse in it, or write one that they’re currently learning. They could also include a message like, “Thanks for loving me!” or “God loves you and I do too!” if you feel like that’s appropriate.
If you live far away (or even if you don’t) you could take pictures of things the grandkids have created or done and text it to their grandparents. Grandparents love receiving pictures of their grandkids! Other older folks who aren’t related would also likely love to receive original artwork from your kids. It’s a simple way to share love with anyone who loves your kids.
2. Make Something for Them
Do you or your kids know grandma’s and grandpa’s favorite food, color, flower, hobby? If so, maybe you could brainstorm something that you could make together (it doesn’t have to be expensive!) and give them as a surprise. Maybe a painted flower pot, homemade cookies, or a birdhouse (depending on your carpentry skills). While you make it, you could pray for the grandparents who are going to receive it and thank God for them.
3. Tell Them Something You’ve Learned
Many children enjoy talking about their lives and what they’re learning. You could encourage your children to tell grandparents what they’re learning in church or in school. Maybe it’s a memory verse, or a fun, little known fact that hardly anyone knows. (Did you know scientists count the rings in whale earwax to determine a whale’s age? Pass that tidbit along to your ancestors. They’re sure to love it!) Maybe if you have a beginning reader, he or she could read something to grandparents to show their progress. You could record the kids singing a song or reciting a verse they’ve recently learned, and send that to grandparents (who can then show it off to their friends if they’d like!).
4. Interview Them
Grandparents can be a wealth of knowledge and stories. You could prepare an “interview” form and have your kids interview their grandparent(s), asking questions about their childhood, education, family, etc. You can even use a scavenger hunt to make this more fun for everyone! We have a free Grandparent Scavenger Hunt that you can download for your kids to use in person or even virtually over a video chat! You can use this as a fun way to help initiate fun and meaningful conversations with grandparents. In this scavenger hunt, kids will ask get-to-know-you questions and use their grandparents answers to complete simple and fun tasks. As an extension, grandparents and grandchildren could also prepare a family tree to help the children see how they fit into the story of their family.
5. Listen to Their Testimony
If the grandparents are believers, the kids could ask them how they came to know Jesus and listen to their testimonies. Here are a few questions they could ask to get started.
- When did you first hear about Jesus?
- How did you learn about God’s love for you?
- When did you realize you needed Jesus to save you?
- How has believing in Jesus changed your life?
- What helps you learn about and love Jesus more?
- Is there anything you’d like me to pray about with you?
Speaking of a grandparent’s faith, we have a free Bible lesson that you could share with kids in your home or church to show them how God used a grandma to pass along the wonderful gift of God’s Word and the good news of Jesus to her grandson, Timothy. Grandma’s Gift! is a free digital download that includes printable visuals, PPT slides, games, and activities to help you use God’s Word to point kids to the gift that lasts forever.
Whether your kids have close relationships with their grandparents or barely know them at all, I hope you can use some of these ideas to help your kids honor grandparents or other older adults who care about them. Learning to honor and appreciate older people is a way for children to model the love of God who extends dignity and love to people of all ages. Did any of these ideas resonate with you? Do you have others you’d like to share? If so, tell us in the comments!
- 5 Ways Kids Can Honor Grandparents - August 19, 2025
- Shining for Jesus during Back to School - July 29, 2025
- 10 Meaningful Christmas Activities for Kids - December 15, 2024