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Celebrating Grandparents through the Magic of Childhood

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Show your grandparents just how much you love them with a day of family fun creating great memories together. Grandparents Day, the second Sunday in September, is a great reminder to celebrate grandparents and the special role they fill in your family.

Celebrate Their Childhood

Toys. There is just something special about our childhood memories playing with beloved toys, whether it’s that favorite electric train set, a special dollhouse, a keepsake tea set or the greatest pinball game ever. Toys connect generations. There is no place better to reminisce and create family connections over fond childhood memories than Kansas City’s very own Toy and Miniature Museum. The museum is one of our favorite "guaranteed to make great memories" places in Kansas City. Four generations of our family recently spent an afternoon at the Toy & Miniature Museum, exploring the 38-room house with the largest collection of nostalgic toys, fine-scale miniatures and marbles in the Midwest. As we culled through room upon room, grandparents, great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, parents and children shared their favorite memories playing with marbles, a favorite Barbie doll or Raggedy Ann, ride-on pedal toys, paper dolls, Teddy Bears and dollhouses. The children loved discovering surprises in every dollhouse and each room of the museum, and the adults loved watching their reactions and remembering their own childhoods. One of the favorites for the entire family was the wonderful marble exhibit with an electric marble track that fascinated the kids with its tunnels and paths.  The family had so much fun that after our visit to the museum, we ended the day with an old-fashioned lunch of burgers and shakes followed play with jacks, checkers and marbles.

Be a Kid Again Itinerary:

Celebrate Your Childhood

There is something special about the handprints of a child, and the best place to make a handprint, footprint or thumbprint keepsake is Ceramics Coffeehouse at Paint, Glaze and Fire (12683 Metcalf Ave., Overland Park, KS, 913.661.2529). The paint-your-own pottery shop offers a wide selection of projects from plates and mugs to frames and holiday pieces. The staff will happily help with project ideas and inspiration as your children paint ceramic masterpieces. You can invite grandparents to paint with you or make gifts in advance for the holiday (make a week or more in advance for gifts). In honor of Grandparents Day, they are also hosting special events. On Sept. 9, enjoy story time at 2:00 & 4:00. Any time during the day (Hours: Noon to 5:00), kids and family can paint a basic mug, cereal bowl or dinner plate for $15/item for the first painter in the family, and others in the same family may choose to paint pieces for $12/item—all-inclusive (ceramic piece plus the paint, glaze and firing). Reservations recommended for all events.

Your Childhood Itinerary:

Treasure Childhood Memories

Whether grandparents live nearby or far away, you can capture and preserve the special relationship they hold in your family. Help the kids create a journal or blog and interview their grandparents, recording the answers. Make two copies—one to keep and one to share—or create a blog to share online. Add to it each year.

Interview Grandparents:

Interview Children:

Kristina Light inherited her love of Kansas City, long toes, summertime craving for crappie fish and her determination (no, not the same as stubbornness!) from her grandparents… but she won’t reveal which ones deserve the credit (no, not the same as blame!).

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