Grandparents' Day 2024: When is Grandparents' Day 2024 & 2025?

Below you can find dates of Grandparents' Day 2024 and Grandparents' Day 2025. In the table you can check how many days you have been on holiday, which week is the holiday and which day of the month.

When is ..? Date Day of the week Week Number Day left
Grandparents' Day 2024 September 08, 2024 Sunday 36 174
Grandparents' Day 2025 September 07, 2025 Sunday 36 538
Grandparents' Day 2026 September 13, 2026 Sunday 37 909
Grandparents' Day 2027 September 12, 2027 Sunday 36 1273
Grandparents' Day 2028 September 10, 2028 Sunday 36 1637
Grandparents' Day 2029 September 09, 2029 Sunday 36 2001
Grandparents' Day 2030 September 08, 2030 Sunday 36 2365
Grandparents' Day 2031 September 07, 2031 Sunday 36 2729
Grandparents' Day 2032 September 12, 2032 Sunday 37 3100
Grandparents' Day 2033 September 11, 2033 Sunday 36 3464
Grandparents' Day 2034 September 10, 2034 Sunday 36 3828

Grandparents’ Day

Every year on Sunday after Labor Day, grandchildren around the country honor their grandparents. Grandparents’ Day is celebrated each year on the first Sunday after Labor Day, so it falls between September 7 and 13. There is an undeniable special bond that can only be shared between grandchildren and grandparents. Grandmother and grandfather's house is full of family history, wisdom, patience, love and guidance, along with hugs and kisses. National Grandparents' Day gives grandchildren the opportunity to show their grandparents their love and respect. School children have been preparing for this day by making gifts for their grandparents and learning the official song. Many are excited for a whole day to spend having fun with Grandma and Grandpa. The official statute says the purpose of Grandparents Day is, “to honor grandparents, to give grandparents an opportunity to show love for their children's children, and to help children become aware of strength, information, and guidance older people can offer." This day is a wonderful reminder of the significance grandparents have in our lives.

Grandparents’ Day Background

Celebrated in the United States since 1978, the United States Senate and President Jimmy Carter nationally recognized Marian McQuade of Oak Hill, West Virginia as the founder of National Grandparents’ Day.  Grandparents’ Day is a holiday created by federal proclamation in 1978. It was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Jimmy Carter. It is a "real" holiday. It is not, however, one of the federal holidays for which government workers receive a day off. Marian McQuade, a West Virginia mother of 15, began a campaign for Grandparents’ Day in 1970. Three years later, her home state created the first Grandparents’ Day in the nation. The movement for a national holiday stalled, however. McQuade and her supporters rallied the media and urged organizations for older Americans to support the cause. They finally succeeded eight years later. McQuade died in 2008. When she died, she had 43 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.

Only a few other countries have official Grandparents’ Day holidays.

Grandparents’ Day Celebrations

  • Any activity that brings extended family close is appropriate for the holiday. A traditional get-together with food, games and lots of "visiting" is suitable for most families. Gift exchanges aren't necessary, but grandparents who want to give grandchildren something should consider one of these family-oriented gifts for grandchildren. These gifts are rich in sentimental value but don't cost a significant amount of money. For example, having a completed grandparent journal for each grandchild would be a wonderful celebration of the holiday.
  • Grandparents’ Day is also a great time for grandparents and grandchildren to try writing a poem. Write your poems together, or compose one for each grandchild ahead of time. This fill-in-the-blank poem format makes it easy. 
  • The weather is usually grand on Grandparents’ Day, so it's perfect for outdoor activities such as walking or biking, geo-caching and classic outdoor games. If you'd like a quieter endeavor, try a craft such as rock-painting, and then take the grandchildren to hide their rocks. Some grandparents enjoy renting a bounce house for the youngsters. It's a great way to keep the children entertained so the adults can visit. When the weather doesn't cooperate, try jigsaw puzzles, board games and card games. There's nothing to get the grandchildren laughing like a rousing game of Spoons! Treasure hunts are great fun for the grandchildren. Find clues for indoor treasure hunts and outdoor treasure hunts. 
  • Some venues such as zoos and museums offer special deals on Grandparents’ Day. Older grandchildren would enjoy a trip to a ropes course, bowling alley or miniature golf course. If your grandchildren are younger, a trip to a really cool playground can't be topped.
  • Grandparents who still live near some family landmarks might want to share them. The grandchildren might enjoy seeing sites of importance in their grandparents' lives, such as the schools they used to attend, the churches where they worshiped or the houses, they once lived in. If you don't live near your grandchildren, you can still connect on Grandparents’ Day. Send a card, letter or package, or schedule a Skype or FaceTime session.
  • However you choose to celebrate Grandparents’ Day, be aware that children love repetition, and you just might be starting a new tradition that the grandchildren will clamor for each year.

Grandparents’ Day Customs and Traditions

Most family holidays come ready-made with traditional activities. Grandparents’ Day has no real traditions associated with it. Some families are at a loss as to whether they should celebrate Grandparents’ Day at all and, if so, exactly how they should proceed.

The purpose of Grandparents’ Day, according to the original proclamation, is "to honor grandparents, to give grandparents an opportunity to show love for their children's children." Notice that the celebration flows two ways: Grandchildren honor their grandparents, and grandparents honor their grandchildren.

Grandparents’ Day Facts

  • Today, there are 70 million grandparents in the nation. Grandparents represent one-third of the population with 1.7 million new grandparents added to the ranks every year. Grandparents lead 37% of all U.S. households in this country — that’s 44 million households nationwide. And that number is increasing at twice the average annual rate of U.S. households overall — with the number to hit 50 million by 2015.
  • Grandparents love being grandparents.

72% think being a grandparent is the single most important and satisfying thing in their life

63% say they can do a better job caring for grandchildren than they did with their own

68% think being a grandparent brings them closer to their adult children

90% enjoy talking about their grandkids to just about everyone

  • They are younger than ever before.

43% became grandparents in their fifties, 37% in their forties, with the average age of grandparents in this country at 48. By 2010, more than 50% of the grandparent population will be baby boomers — by 2015, it will increase to nearly 60%.

  • Grandparents are active.

43% exercise or play sports

28% volunteer on a regular basis

18% dance 

  • They are intellectually curious.

71% say reading is one of their favorite activities

86% read a newspaper in print or online

  • Grandparents are wired.

75% are online

70% use search engines to find information

63% shop online

30% instant message

56% share photos online

46% bank online

45% are on social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Yahoo! Groups

  • Grandparents take care of their grandkids.

72% take care of their grandchildren on a regular basis

13% are primary caregivers

92% have changed their grandchild’s diaper

64% accompany their adult children or grandchildren to the doctor

86% bake cookies for their family

  • Many grandparents live under the same roof as their grandkids

6.2 million — or 5.3% of all U.S. households — are now multigenerational — up from 5 million in 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Current Population Survey.

  • 66% of grandparents have never celebrated Grandparents’ Day. 
  • Grandparents love to spend money on their grandchildren. *According to an AARP report, 40% of grandparents spend over $500 on their grandkids in twelve months. While most of this is on holidays and birthdays, grandparents are also helping with education costs, medical or dental bills, and everyday living costs.
  • Grandparents stay close to their grandchildren. 69% of grandparents live within 50 miles of their grandchildren. When grandparents do live a considerable distance away, they make sure they see their grandkids. 43% have traveled over 200 miles to see their grandchildren.
  • 58% of grandparents say they talk to their grandchild at least once a week. Grandchildren are coming to their grandparents for advice now more than ever.
  • More half the grandparents in the United States are baby boomers.
  • Samuel S. Mast of Pennsylvania holds the record for having the most living descendants. He passed away in 1992, but he fathered 11 children, 97 grandchildren, 634 great-grandchildren and 82 great-great-grandchildren. That’s a big family! 
  • Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey were raised by their grandparents. Talk about good influences.
  • Many celebrities have become grandparents at a young age. Loretta Lynn became a grandparent at age 29 and CeeLo Green at age 35.
  • Of the twenty women in the state senate, half of them are grandmothers.
  • More than half of grandparents play video games with their grandchildren.
  • Slightly more than 10% grandparents have tattoos.

 

Grandparents’ Day Symbols

Grandparents' Day has its own song. Chula Vista, National Grandparents 'Day Council announced in 2004 that Johnny Prill's A Song of Grandma and Grandpa would be the official song of the US National Grandparents' Day holiday. The Council awarded Prill the National Songwriter Award in recognition of the song A Song, an extremely popular song for Pril and Grandfather. This anthem has become a popular song for kids in school and church programs all across the country. Many children’s programs make a special trip to nursing homes and retirement communities on this special day to sing to the elderly who cannot be with their families.

The United States official flower of Grandparents Day is the forget-me-not. These plants bear stunning tiny blue flowers and have been used as a symbol of remembrance for centuries. In 15th century Germany, the forget-me-not was worn by ladies as a sign of enduring love.

Check out the Grandparents' Day in the following years.