Celebrating Grandparent's Day When Your Grandparents Are Far Away

Near or far, Grandparents can be celebrated! Here are some ideas for honoring Grandparents that are out of reach on Grandparent's Day. Don't let the miles between you limit you to simply sending a card to celebrate your grandparents.

Send a Party Box

Fill a box with confetti, balloons, hats, a cake mix and party plates. Put in the mail a week in advance. Include recent pictures of the grandkids in party hats. Maybe Gramps will take some pictures of him and Gram celebrating together on Grandparent's Day!

Write a Song

Use the tune of Happy Birthday to You or Mary had a Little Lamb to create a song the kids can sing for their grandparents. It can be silly or sentimental, just make it unique for the occasion. Record it on a CD and drop it in the mail, or simply deliver the singing telegram over the phone. It might be fun to catch them while they are out and leave the song on their voicemail; that way they can listen to it repeatedly.

Make a Family Tree

Starting with the generation of the grandparents, or before if possible, sketch a family tree. Use photographs or the grandchildren's illustrations to identify each person. Allow the grandchildren to be creative with markers, crayons, or whatever you have on hand. Use a large piece of butcher paper that can be rolled and tucked inside a cardboard tube for safe mailing.

Phone Marathon

If there are many cousins and they are old enough to say hello, plan out a phone marathon schedule. Each cousin will have a designated time of day to call and say "Happy Grandparent's Day!" Keep in mind the different time zones as you schedule the calls. Some west coast grandparents might not mind a wake-up call from an east coast grandson.

Plan a Reunion

Whether the reunion can happen on Grandparent's Day or not, make the announcement on Grandparent's Day and plan to honor them at the event. Several generations of grandparents might be available which could lead to some grandparent competitions that would be great fun for the kids to watch.