20 Grandparents' Day Crafts for Kids

Grandparents occupy a special place in a child’s life. They’re devoted caregivers, lifelong mentors, eager and trusted babysitters, the loudest part of the cheering section at football games and soccer tournaments and often co-conspirators for one more chocolate chip cookie.

So, with Grandparents' Day coming up on September 11, why not honor those important people with a handmade gift? Here are 20 kid-friendly crafts, ranging from greeting cards to no-bake goodies, that will please the grandparents and promote some family bonding.

Melt Grandma and Grandpa's hearts from afar with these adorable ice cream cone-shaped greeting cards. All you need is a stack of pastel card stock, a pair of scissors, some ribbon and a few glue sticks, plus our free-to-print templates. From there, the kiddos can assemble their cones and write in a thoughtful message. "There's nothing sweeter than having you for a grandparent," perhaps?

Add even more excitement to an upcoming visit by gifting the grandparents a heart-shaped paper chain countdown calendar. This easy yet exciting craft involves cutting card stock into strips, then customizing those strips with drawings and notes. (Think "Can't wait to see you soon!" and "Only five more sleeps!") Instruct the grandparents to remove a heart every day until they reached the main event.

Get the kids' creativity in gear and help them make custom license plate magnets for Grandpa's garage. To pull this sporty craft off, you'll need to visit a local flea market and send your little ones on a scavenger hunt for vintage license plates. Then, back at home, you'll work together to scrub off any dust and select enough colorful letters to spell out his grandkids' names. When all's said and done, Grandpa can show off the magnets on his storage cabinet or tool box.

There's nothing grandparents love more than handmade art for their house. Print a special Grandparents' Day poem or quote onto heavy card stock, then dip your child's hand into finger paint and press their palms to the paper. Let the paper dry, write in your child's name and age and voilà! You've actually given them two gifts: Art and those precious little fingers captured forever.

If the way to Grandpa's heart is through his stomach, then delight him with custom crispy rice treats. You can buy pre-made squares or make the bars from scratch, then enlist the kiddos to decorate the tops with icing, candy and cookies. For an extra fun element, challenge the little ones to capture his favorite activities, like golfing or gardening.

Bring a smile to Grandma's face and hold her page by presenting her with a bouquet of floral resin bookmarks. This fresh DIY will keep the kids busy for a few hours as they search the backyard for flower petals, leaves and stems. Once they've gathered enough earthy material, help them dry and mold the foliage into beautiful bookmarks.

They grow up so fast! Help Grandma and Grandpa experience the magic of your child's development with this growth chart keepsake. You'll start by measuring and cutting some plywood, then invite your toddler or big kid to stick on vinyl numbers and lines. The grandparents can then track your child's height each year.

Tug on Nan or Oma's heartstrings by framing one of her famous recipes. To recreate this charming shadow box, bring your little ones to the local craft store and ask them to choose a square frame and patterned fabric. Back at home, help them fill the shadow box with an heirloom pie server or whisk, the typed-up recipe and a special photo. And if you really want to sweeten this gift? Buy the ingredients and send the kids to her house to help make the dish.

We love this interactive craft for two reasons: It introduces children to their family history and reminds grandparents of their incredible legacy. Provide paper, crayons and ink pads, so your cuties can draw a tree that stretches up to the clouds. Then skip the lowest branches (those are for Nana and Pop!) and add your fingerprint to the next branch to create a "leaf." Once you've shown the kiddos how it's done, encourage them to stamp their own leaves at the top. Sign your prints with a pen and ask the grandparents to complete the project.

Turn Granddad's favorite hobby into a fun bonding activity with just a few paper towel rolls, paint, googly eyes and magnets. Use scissors to cut and shape the rolls into fish, then give your little ones free rein to paint on stripes and spots. When they're all done, hot glue magnets to the "mouths" and bring the game over to Granddad's house.

For the grandparents who enjoy perusing the local farmers market, we suggest a pair of tie-dye tote bags. Spread a drop cloth or plastic trash bag over an outdoor table, then supply your tweens with tubs of warm water, dye kits, rubber bands and plain canvas bags. This Grandparents' Day craft can be completed on a Friday afternoon and gifted with fresh flowers come Saturday or Sunday morning.

Grandparents and grandkids alike will buzz about this treat for a long time. Gather all the necessary ingredients and lead your little helpers into the kitchen to make these cute honeybee cookie pops. Bee sure to follow our easy, no-bake recipe below and deliver the decadent creatures with a note that reads, "From your favorite honeybees."

Put your little Picassos to work and paint river rocks for Grandma's garden. For this one, you'll want to visit your local craft store and stock up on brushes, outdoor acrylic paint and pre-washed stones. (The more varied they are in shape, the better they'll look in her flower beds.) Then send the kids outside to gather some inspiration before they paint on rainbows, butterflies, ladybugs and other creatures.

If your little artists are slightly more advanced, then swap the painted rocks for these whimsical puppets. Your kiddos can flex their tracing, coloring and cutting skills and fill Grandma's garden with enchanting paper animals — and even surprise the guest of honor with an outdoor puppet show.

Freeze those sweet faces in time by making bespoke silhouettes for the grandparents' mantel. Your little ones can help choose, cut and glue their photos to mat boards, while you label and date the images with a fine-tip marker. And here's the best part: You can add silhouettes to the precious collection as your family grows.

Here's an easy way to keep those little hands busy and help Pawpaw keep track of his wallet and keys: Craft polymer clay trinket trays. Work alongside your kids to roll and cut the clay into circles, then score each surface using a butter knife or ballpoint pen. Get the full tutorial below, along with polymer clay earring ideas for Mawmaw.

The only thing better than fresh-cut flowers? Paper blooms that Gigi can proudly display in her kitchen all season long. These fetching dahlias call for just a few sheets of scrapbook paper, a cardboard cake circle, double-sided tape and a pair of scissors. (And some enthusiastic cone rollers, of course.) You can stick with autumnal hues or branch out using pinks and purples.

Treat the kiddos to a quick science lesson and a fun Grandparents' Day craft all at once by mixing naturally reactive paint. All you need is a large casserole dish, baking soda, vinegar, food coloring and paper to produce some fizzy artwork. Personalize the gift by having the kids paint either a custom portrait of their beloved grandparents or their beautiful house.

Flip the usual script and put your kiddos in charge of telling their grandparents a bedtime story. Once they've come up with a general plot, send the pint-sized directors outside with a tub of sidewalk chalk to draw the frames and feature themselves as subjects. Take photos as they move through the tale, then turn those photos into a one-of-a-kind album for the grandparents' coffee table.