Grandparents' Day 2024 Teaching Resources

Celebrate Grandparents' Day 2024 in the classroom with printable and digital activities for kids and their teachers.

Packed in this teacher-created collection of resources, you'll find "All About Grandma" and "All About Grandpa" templates, student and family member interview templates, gift ideas for Grandma and Grandpa, greatest grandparent certificates and a whole lot more to celebrate this September holiday at school.

New to creating lesson plans for Grandparents Day? Read on for a primer from our teacher team, including a look at when Grandparents' Day will be in 2024, the history of this day and ideas for celebrating in your classroom.

What Is Grandparents' Day?

Grandparents' Day is a holiday that is celebrated in the United States each September. It was first officially recognized by President Jimmy Carter in 1978 and it was established to honor grandparents and to give children an opportunity to show their appreciation for their grandparents.

The holiday provides a time for the different generations of families to come together and celebrate the older generation, and it is also a time for grandparents to share their wisdom and experiences with their grandchildren. Many schools, churches, and communities organize events and activities to celebrate the occasion, such as grandparents visiting classrooms, grandparent-grandchild activities, and special church services.

Grandparents' Day offers our students a chance to appreciate the role that grandparents play in the lives of their families and the community. It's an opportunity to celebrate the love and traditions they pass on and to recognize their contributions to the family and society.

When Is Grandparents' Day 2024?

Mark your calendars! Grandparents Day will be held on Sunday, September 8, 2023.

Sometimes called National Grandparents' Day, this secular holiday is always celebrated on the first Sunday of September after Labor Day of each year.

What Can I Do for Grandparents' Day at School?

If you're planning to celebrate the holiday at school with your students, our teacher team has plenty of ideas to make it a very Happy Grandparents' Day!

• Plan a grandparent visit to the classroom — Your school may already have this on the calendar, or you can chat with admin about adding a small assembly for classes to celebrate these special family members.
• Create Grandparents' Day cards and poems — Add some curriculum alignment to your holiday celebration by having your students work on their writing skills by crafting cards or writing poems for their grandparents.
• Assign grandparent (or special person) interviews — Teach students the importance of collecting the stories of older generations with a simple interview assignment that tasks kids with asking a few questions of either a grandparent or another special person in their life.

Grandparents' Day Facts for Kids

Looking for a few facts to share during your classroom celebration? Try these facts on for size!

• • A 9-year-old named Russell Capper wrote a letter in 1969 to then-President Nixon suggesting that Grandparents' Day be an official holiday.  It wouldn't happen for another 10 years, and credit goes to Marian McQuade, a West Virginia housewife and grandmother who wanted to encourage families to visit and honor their grandparents. (This is a great fact to share with your class to inspire them in their own letter writing!)
  • Grandparents' Day isn't just a holiday here in the US. It's also celebrated in Australia, Canada, Estonia, Taiwan, Pakistan, Singapore, Italy, and South Sudan. Many of those celebrations are held on different days from the American holiday.
  • The official Grandparents' Day flower here in the US is the forget-me-not.
  • Did you know there is a mascot for Grandparents' Day? It's a kangaroo, because the marsupials are known for carrying their young in their pouches, just like grandparents carry their love in their hearts.