Grandparents are often a staple for local families, offering not only support when we need it most but their unconditional love. They step in when parents need a helping hand to get the kids to and from school and events, they are our most trusted babysitters, and today there are many grandparents raising their grandchildren.
Grandparents' Day is celebrated every September as a way to honor their dedication to the family unit and thank them for being the backbone young families need. To celebrate Grandparents Day, we have three, super easy and adorable crafts your kids can do to show grandma and grandpa just how much they are loved.
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I celebrated Grandparents' Day on one of my past appearances on Good Day Acadiana with Alex Worstell. We were able to make all three of these crafts during the morning show. Here are three simple ideas for fun children's crafts you can make with items from around the house to celebrate this Grandparents' Day with your kids.
 Celebrating Grandparents' Day with Alex Worstell, September 6, 2023 Image by Mia Barletto |
Grandparent Pals
My daughter Mia and I came up with this simple craft using leftover construction paper. After a simple internet search she saw these cute crafts on Funny Crafts and so we decided to make our own version of them.
Supplies You'll Need:
- Construction paper and thick card stock paper
- Pipe cleaners
- Hot glue and/or Elmer's glue
- 2 Small plastic bathroom cups
- Beans, macaroni noodles, or small buttons
- Popsicle sticks
- Markers, crayons, and/or paint and brushes
Alex's Grandparent Pal, Grandma Jill Image by Mia Barletto |
Image by Tracie Ysaguire |
Step-by-Step Instructions:
First, select your construction paper colors. You can do the same color for the shirt and pants or mix it up. Cut off a section of the paper about 4 inches from the edge. You will wrap each piece in a cylinder shape and glue the sides together. Do this for both pieces.
Next, get your plastic cups. Turn one upside down and slide one of the cylinder shaped construction papers you glued over the cup. You will want to make sure to leave the edge of the cup showing to make your Grandparent Pal sturdy. Add a small dab of glue or hot glue to the side of the cup that is touching your construction paper bottoms to keep it in place. Add your next piece of construction paper (the shirt) by sliding it over the top of the the piece you just created. Again add a small dab of glue to keep it in place. Let that dry.
Now you can create the arms and legs. Once piece of pipe clean for each should do just fine. Cut it to the size you want and glue them to inside of your bottom cup for the legs. For the arms, glue them to the side of your top piece (the shirt). Hot glue will hold it in place and dry quicker, but you can use regular glue as well. Just remember to let each section dry before moving on if you use regular glue.
While the body is drying, make sure to decide if you want to create accent pieces for your Grandparent Pal. We added shoes, a purse, glasses, and a newspaper. Let the kid's get creative! Does grandpa like to cook? Add an apron or a spoon! Does grandma enjoy reading? Add a book!
Once your body, arms, and legs are dry you are ready to get back to work. Take your other small plastic cup and slide it inside of the body you just created. You will glue the bottom of this cup to the bottom of the one inside of your cylinder construction paper body. Hot glue works best but you could also use crafting glue like E6000. You will not need to much hot glue and be careful as it may burn through the cup if you add to much. Once that is done add a small handful of beans, or macaroni noodles inside of your top cup to help weigh down your paper Grandparent Pal.
Next, take another piece of construction paper and cut it a little bigger than the top of your small plastic cup holding the noodles or beans. You can make a collar and get decorative here. We just crinkled it up a bit to make it stand out. Next cut a small slit in the paper collar. Grab a popsicle stick and cut it in half and slide it into that opening. The material inside the cup allows it to stay in place as well.
Now, you can make the face and hair. Cardstock or heavier paper works best, but you can double up on construction paper to make it sturdy. We traced our face using a jar from the kitchen just to make it even. Cut that out and then glue the face to the top of the popsicle stick sticking out of your cup. Don't forget to add a piece to the back of the head to cover the popsicle stick.
Once that is all dry, draw your face, decide on any other accessories you want to add, and put them in place. You can add other piece of construction paper for the hair, leave it as is, or get really creative and use other items like yarn or crafting pom-poms. Now, you have your very own Grandparent Pal! You can give it to grandma and grandpa or let the kids keep it to play with.
 Grandparents' Day Craft, Image by Mia Barletto |
Flower Hands
I originally saw this idea on Splash Learn and thought it was adorable! Any grandparent would love to have this keepsake of their grandchild's hands and would proudly display it at home.
Supplies You'll Need:
- Construction Paper and/or card stock paper
- Hot glue and/or Elmer's glue
- Popsicle sticks
- Markers and crayons
- Scissors
First, trace your child's hand on the construction paper. You can do one or a bunch or make a whole bouquet if you have multiple children. Cut those out and put to the side. Take your cardstock paper and trace out your flower pot. If you are using construction paper, just double up to make it a little more sturdy. You can make it as big or as small as like!
Next, grab your popsicle sticks and paint or color them with markers. We went with green for the stem of the flower but let your child be creative and choose their favorite color. Once your stem is dried, you can glue the flowers to the stem. Feel free to add any other decorative items like leaves, petals, or event a bug or two!
Now your Flower Hands are ready to give to grandma and grandpa!
 Grandparents' Day Craft, Image by Mia Barletto |
Send a Paper Hug to your Grandparents
Ah... the magic of live television! We got Adam to be our guinea pig for this idea from Macaroni KID and he was such a good sport about it! Using newspaper, wrapping paper, or even a large poster board, you can create a huggable paper version of your child to send to grandparents who may not be close to home.
Have your child to lie down on the paper. Trace the image of your child from the waist up making sure to get both arms traced. Watch as we got Adam to participate in this fun morning show craft:
Now, cut it out and decorate it with plenty of imagination! This is a great craft for grandparents near and far. You can send this to grandparents who may live out of state so they always have a hug from their grandchild.
Looking for more craft inspiration or at-home fun?
