Grandparents are a part of a person's heritage and essential members of families and communities. That is why a special day, National Grandparent's Day, is set aside every year to honor them.
Grandparents Day is celebrated on the first Sunday after Labor Day (in September). This day was declared a holiday in the United States by the Congress in 1978. President Jimmy Carter signed the congressional proclamation. The idea of Grandparents Day began in 1970, when Marian Lucille Herndon McQuade (from West Virginia) started a campaign to designate a special day to celebrate grandparents.
Questions About Childhoods
Children are naturally curious about themselves and often ask questions about their parents’ and grandparents’ childhoods. Were they the same or different than what children experience? It’s sometimes hard for a child to envision a grandparent as a kid, but stories about life “way back when” help the child to connect to the family.
Help children understand their unique background or heritage by bonding and doing these activities together.
- On a World or United States map, place a sticker on each town or country where the ancestors lived. Rent or check out a video from the library to view the ancestor’s homeland.
- Create a family tree using photographs. This is a great art project. Help children look for similar physical characteristics between the generations.
- Share favorite childhood foods. Parents can prepare a recipe that was a favorite when they were young. A grandparent who is local can make a favorite recipe as well. Create a family cookbook together.
- Bring out the box of pictures and spend a day looking at ancestors. Grandparents can find photos when they were young. Help children identify older people in the photographs and explain their relationship to the family.
- Teach the children a game that was popular “way back when”.
- Older children might enjoy learning their ancestral language. Start out with a few common words. There are books and tapes available at most public libraries or bookstores that can teach the basics of other languages.
- Bring out cultural memorabilia, such as dolls, toys, plates, etc. for the children to view. Try making a cultural craft from the ancestral country.
Enhance Family Bonding
Family Interview
This activity will help the children get to know their grandparents (or an older adult at home). Today with email or the telephone, this interview activity can be done with grandparents whether local or far away.
Materials needed:
- Paper
- Pen
- Tape recorder (optional)
Make a list of questions for children to ask. Here are some suggestions:
- When you were young, what toys or games did you play with?
- When you were a child, did you have any pets? What did the pets look like?
- When you were young, who were the most important people in your life?
- When you were a child, where did you live? With whom did you live?
- What is your favorite story?
- Do you collect anything?
- What would you like to learn how to do?
- Do you play an instrument?
- Who's your best friend?
- Did you go anywhere special for a vacation?
- What do you like to do when you're not working? (at home or at the office)
Parents and children could preserve family history by recording this interview on tape (cassette or video).
My Family Collage
Materials needed:
- Photos or photocopies
- Glue or glue stick
- Colored construction paper
- Marker
Bring out the box of photos again, and let the children make a photo collage on poster board or even cover a box with colored paper and make a photo block. If there aren't duplicate pictures, think about making color photocopies for the kids to use. Shapes of colored construction paper make great frames and backing for the pictures. Label the project by the child’s name, like "Tara’s Family". Make sure the child recognizes each person in the photos. Use old photos from the past and incorporate newer ones as well. This makes a great genealogy lesson!
Another variation is to cover a coffee can with colorful construction paper. Now, glue on favorite family photos. Fill the can with baked cookies or candy and present this gift to the grandparents.
As grandparents and children spend time together and get to know each other; this creates a bond that cannot be duplicated. Children will preserve these memories for life.
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