20 Meaningful Gifts for Grandparents: Unique Ideas They’ll Love

We love our grandparents! Sometimes it’s hard to think of gift ideas for them though because they already seem to have everything they want. This list should help! From homemade gifts for grandparents to unique gift ideas to buy, these 20 meaningful gifts for grandparents are sure to be well loved.

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Whether it’s Grandparents’ Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or the December holidays, it’s fun to have an excuse to show our parents and our children’s grandparents our love with thoughtful gifts.

This list is inspired by real gifts received by my parents or in-laws that they loved and appreciated, not that they received them all from us. In fact, many of these ideas are from my dad’s office staff, who are honestly THE BEST at coming up with unique and thoughtful gift ideas. Just giving credit where credit is due. 😉

I hope this list of meaningful gifts for grandparents is helpful for you!

20 Meaningful Gifts for Grandparents

This list gives a variety of ideas from DIY gift ideas for grandparents to thoughtful purchases. The ideas are not in any particular order.

1. DIY Family Memory Game

If your parents are game players or enjoy playing games with the grandkids when they come visit, this idea is a winner!

Print two 2X2 photos of each family member. (These are passport size.) Back the photos with paper in a fun design or something your parents enjoy. You can also use wrapping paper with a cute print. You want to make the backsides as identical as possible though, so people don’t remember which backing goes with which photo.

Gift the memory game in a cute bag, small hand decorated box, or plastic container.

2. Digital Picture Frame with Email Ability

Digital frames are such a great way to be able to display a ton of photos, without cluttering up the entire house.

My parents were given the Skylight Digital Picture Frame and love it! It’s so easy for kids and grandkids to send pictures to the personalized Skylight email address and have those pictures automatically upload to the digital frame.

The frame is easy to set-up. Pictures will rotate through, like a slide show. However, it’s simple to view the whole gallery, swipe through, or delete photos with the touch screen. The frame has a clean look with beautiful display quality.

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3. Ancestry Gift Membership

Many grandparents find the time and interest for family history at this stage of life. For these grandparents, an Ancestry Gift Membership or DNA Analysis are an awesome idea. These resources help people find connections with their family now and ancestors from the past.

4. Personalized Monopoly

Here’s another super fun and meaningful gift for grandparents that enjoy games. With this gift, the classic Monopoly takes a personal twist. From naming your own properties to creating personalized Chance cards, this game is such a fun way to incorporate family members, memories, funny stories, and more.

You can make your own game from scratch or buy a less expensive version that you can print your own stickers like My Monopoly Game.

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You can also buy a personalized version like this which has a really high quality.

Plan a game night to play the new game together and provide the refreshments.

5. Story Jar

This gift shows grandparents that we love hearing their stories!

Telling family stories is a strength for our kids and an important way to bond.

A family story jar is unique way to introduce story topics between grandparents and their children and grandchildren. Get free labels and starter ideas in this post about the Family Story Jar.

6. Job or Service

Think of a job or service your parents would appreciate. Maybe you can mow their lawn once a week, clean out a storage room, or help them complete a project they’ve been procrastinating. Try to find a way to include the grandkids in the service.

Unlike some of the coupon books we get from little kids, remember to follow-through on this one! 😉

Service has so many benefits for our children and those they serve, including bonding, which makes this an ideal heartfelt grandparent gift idea. If you want more service ideas for families, request a free copy of my guide Raising Compassionate Children in a Conceited World. It includes 101 service ideas for families.

7. Homemade Memory Book

Have each person in the family make at least one page about a favorite memory with grandpa and/or grandma. On the top half draw a picture of the memory, and on the bottom write a few sentences about it.

Bind these memory pages with a coil bind or put them in page protectors inside a cute 3-ring binder and occasionally add more memories.

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Grandparents will love looking through the book and reminiscing about times together as well as seeing the unique drawings and handwriting of each family member.

8. Weekend Away or Experience

Is there a local tourist attraction the grandparents have always wanted to do but never got around to? What about a unique experience like a hot air balloon ride or indoor skydiving? You can book the experience yourself, or use a service like Cloud 9 Living that specializes in gifting experiences. They provide a lot of ideas and make returns and exchanges easy.

9. DIY Photo Cube

These DIY photo cubes are a decoration with a homey feel and make a fun homemade gift idea for grandparents.

You’ll need a block of wood (you can use these 3 Inch or 4 Inch Wood Block Cube for crafting or have a 4×4 piece of wood cut at Home Depot), sandpaper, foam paint brushes, brown acrylic paint (you can use any color, but I think the brown looks great), Mod Podge Glue, and 6 photos (black and white look really good with this project).

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Sand your wooden block, paint the sides, and let it dry. Cut the six photos to fit the cube sides. Use mod podge to glue the pictures in place. Do half at a time and then let them dry so they don’t attach to what they’re sitting on as they dry. After they are all dry, apply mod podge over the whole cube. (You can do half at a time again.) Allow it all to dry, and your DIY photo cube is ready to go!

10. Discussion Cards

Here’s another fun way to get the conversations going between kids and their grandparents. Gift Dinner Conversation Cards so grandparents can pull them out when grandkids come to visit. The cards ask fun questions that get the family talking about memories, goals, feelings, and more.

You can create your own set of cards of purchase a printable set.

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11. Photo Puzzle

I have a lot of fond memories of doing puzzles with my grandma. Puzzles always provided a calm way to interact. Plus, they’re good for our brains!

A personal photo puzzle from Shutterfly makes a thoughtful gift for any puzzle-loving grandparent!

12. Roots and Branches Blanket

I love gifts that show grandparents we understand and appreciate their founding role in our family. The roots and branches imagery does just that. With the saying “Strong roots grow beautiful leaves” and the ability to personalize both the saying and the tree with up to 25 names, this personalized Roots and Branches Blanket is truly a meaningful gift for grandparents.

13. Homemade Memorable Recipes Cookbook

Remember those genius office staff I mentioned at the beginning? Well one of them gave us a cookbook like this for our wedding, and we love it! Gather significant family recipes and with each recipe, include a memory.

Write the first time you remember trying grandma’s famous cookies or that epic fail when you attempted her one-of-a-kind casserole for the first time. Include a favorite Thanksgiving memory with the rolls you always eat for the holiday or who has ranted and raved about this recipe.

Include some pictures if you can, and turn cooking into a meaningful trip down memory lane. This is a great idea for grandparents and their posterity.

14. Personalized Family Calendar

Make a personalized calendar that includes pictures of the family and all the important birthdays and anniversaries. Shutterfly makes this really easy to do. You just sign-up for a free account, upload your photos, and use their templates to create your calendar! The finished product is high quality and makes a great gift.

15. Love Story Book

Here’s another Shutterfly favorite that we have gifted several years. Upload pictures and add text to make a beautiful hardbound book. Whether you share the grandparents’ love story, life story, highlights of a memorable trip together, or pictures from the year, these books are quality, meaningful gifts for grandparents that they will love looking at over and over.

16. Superpower Grandparents Mugs and Message

Write long lists of what make Grandpa and Grandma a superhero. Roll up the lists and gift them inside these fun mugs for Grandma and for Grandpa. Include a favorite drink mix and a cute picture of the grandkids in superhero costumes.

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17. Sweet Thoughts Jar

Get bite-size candies of Grandma’s and Grandpa’s favorite treats. On strips of paper, write kind notes, memories, and words of gratitude. Wrap a strip of paper around each candy, and put them all in a jar or cute container.

18. Birthday Wall Calendar

Help grandparents remember all the important birthday and anniversary dates with a cute Family Hanging Calendar Board. This sign comes with hearts and round pieces that you can write names and dates on. The pieces hang so they can be rearranged in order when a new grandbaby is born. Do the writing for them and present the finished product for a meaningful gift for grandparents.

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19. Lesson or Class

We’re never too old to learn! Help the grandparents learn a new hobby they’re interested in with a lesson, class, or online course. Maybe they could do a fun cooking class or painting lesson. Even better, sign-up with them! Interact in a new way, and make a fun memory.

20. Thoughtful Sign

Turn a favorite quote, scripture, or family mantra into a personalized sign. Is there something Grandma or Grandpa always says? You can include nicknames the grandkids call them or the phrase “Memories Made Here.” Here’s a great tutorial about making wooden signs with a Cricut. You can also choose the words to put on a personalized sign with Personalization Mall. Alternately, choose a sign or art piece that can display photos like this Family Tree Picture Frame Display.

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Thoughtful Gifts for Grandparents

Sometimes it’s hard to come up with gift ideas, but we really do want to take advantage of the chance to show these important people in our lives how much we love and appreciate them. I hope these 20 thoughtful gift ideas for grandparents are helpful!

Related: Best Gifts for Kids Ages 0-10 to Love All Year

What’s the best grandparent gifts you’ve given or seen? Share more ideas in the comments!

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