First, let me say that no matter what the occasion, I don’t think gifts from grandparents are necessary or should be expected. Ever. If you are a grandparent and you enjoy giving gifts to your adult children and/or grandchildren, here are a few ideas:
1. Museum/zoo/science center/aquarium/children’s museum membership or visit.
All of the activities listed above (museums, science centers, etc.) tend to be expensive, especially for families with more than 2 children. This is the type of gift that both parents and children can appreciate and enjoy. An annual membership is literally the gift that gives year round and may have reciprocal benefits with other sites in the city or in other cities. Some memberships include a “grandparent” or caretaker pass so you can enjoy it with the children, too, if you aren’t the primary member.
2. Concert, show, play or other special outing with lunch or dinner.
This is something you can do with one grandchild at a time, just a few or all of them if you’re up to it. My mom treated my oldest son to a baseball game for a few years as a birthday gift. He really does treasure the memories and loved looking forward to it and she loved sharing something with him that he loves-GO BUCS!.
3. P.J.’s, dress clothes or coats and boots
I’m sure I’m not the only parent who dreads spending money on all of these things. PJ’s aren’t quite as bad because they get lots of use (but still, good quality, comfy ones are expensive, no one really sees them and one pair is plenty for kids in my book). Dress clothes, coats and boots are a little different because they don’t get lots of use and kids tend to grow out of them in a season.
Thrift stores are a great source for these things but sometimes you just don’t find the right size.
My friend’s mom buys each grandchild a dress coat when they need it. It’s a lovely gift, especially because they all attend the same church and she gets to appreciate how nice they all look every week.
4. A Keepsake
An heirloom piece can be a special gift for a boy or a girl. This might not be possible if you have many grandchildren but if you only have a few, you might want to think about gifting them special pieces of jewelry, a watch, a jewelry box or something else (not too bulky) that is special to you. I wouldn’t advise boxing up the china, this type of heirloom can sometimes be more of a burden than a blessing.
If you don’t have an heirloom, you can start a new tradition of a special purchase of that type at a certain age for each of your grandchildren. A classic watch for a boy, a special bracelet or necklace for each girl in the family.
If you’d like your dollars to help someone else AND are interested in encouraging unity among the cousins, you might be interested in buying everyone something from Give or Toms shoes (they even have things for guys). If neither of those sites is a good fit for you and your extended family, you might appreciate this Ethical Shopping Guide that Tsh at The Art of Simple put together. Make a statement, raise awareness and love on the kids all at once!
5. Classes, equipment or supplies for a special passion, activity or interest.
Art classes, dance classes or lessons for sports can sometimes be cost-prohibitive for families. Even if the activity, itself isn’t, the equipment can be.
I give my mom credit for buying Hannah her first digital camera when she was 10 or 11. I thought it was too generous, (and redundant) since Hannah was free to use my digital point-and-shoot anytime. Once she had her own camera, though, she developed a passion for photography that I’m sure will be with her forever.
When Luke started catching for his baseball team, my mom was happy to buy him a catcher’s mitt for his birthday. Again, it’s something I couldn’t justify spending money on since we had other expenses (uniform and shoes plus a bat for his birthday) and the team had a mitt that he could use. He was so thrilled with it and was proud that everyone wanted to use it when they were behind the plate. He used that mitt for 4 seasons so he certainly got his use out of it.
I think all of the gifts listed above are as much for the parents as they are for the kids and if you truly enjoy giving gifts to the grandchildren, I hope this gives you some ideas.
6. BONUS!!
I know the article suggests 5 great gifts. Maybe the greatest gift of all for the parents, the grandchildren and yes, even the grandparents……
SLEEPOVER AT GRANDMA’S!
NUFF SAID!
If you have other gift ideas from grandparents, I’d love to hear about them.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of the links, I’ll make a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks.