Christmas gifts for grandparents from grandchildren

Grandparents are famously hard to buy for. Many say they don’t want anything, and the ones who do usually mean something small and personal from the grandchildren rather than another scarf.

The good news is that the presents they value most are often the simplest to make. This guide covers ideas grandchildren can make or help with, ideas by age, and how to send a present when you can’t be together at Christmas.

What do grandparents really want from their grandchildren?

Most grandparents want time, attention and something that shows the grandchildren thought of them. A gift the children made, coloured or chose themselves usually means more than anything bought, because the effort is the point.

That gives you a useful test for any idea: can the children take part? Even a toddler can add a handprint or a scribble, and older children can do most of the work themselves.

Gifts grandchildren can make

Homemade gifts are the easiest way to give grandparents something personal, and they suit almost any budget. Most need paper, pens and an afternoon.

• A coloured-in family colouring book. Make a colouring book from family photos, let the grandchildren colour every page (or as many as they get through), then give the finished book. Each page shows someone the grandparents love, coloured by the children in their own way.
• Handprint or footprint art, framed or made into a card. Add the date and the child’s age on the back.
• A homemade calendar for the new year, with a drawing or photo for each month and family birthdays marked in.
• A recipe book of the family’s favourite dishes, with the children’s drawings of each one.
• Salt dough decorations for the grandparents’ tree, painted and labelled with each grandchild’s name and the year.
• A jar of “reasons we love you” notes, written or dictated by the children.

Gifts grandchildren can help choose

If you are buying rather than making, let the children help choose, write the card or wrap it. A bought present with a child’s own message attached feels far more personal.

• A photo book or framed print of the year, with captions written by the children.
• A digital photo frame loaded with recent photos, so grandparents who live far away see the children grow.
• A personalised mug, cushion or apron printed with the grandchildren’s drawings.
• Plants or bulbs to grow together, with a promise to visit when they flower.
• An experience voucher written by the children: a day out, a cinema trip, a picnic in the summer.

A family colouring book: two ways to give it

A colouring book made from your family photos works as a present for grandparents in two ways: coloured in by the grandchildren first, or given blank so grandparents and grandchildren can colour it together.

Coloured in first, it becomes a keepsake: the children’s colouring of their own family, in the order you chose the photos. Write a dedication when you start the book: it’s printed on the first page inside the cover, signed “With love from” and the children’s names. When the colouring is finished, the children can sign and date their last page.

Given blank, it becomes something to do together on visits. Grandparents can colour alongside the children and chat about the photos: the holiday, the birthday party, the day the puppy arrived. Each book has a “Draw your own family” page for anyone who isn’t in the photos. Our guide to family activities for grandparents and grandchildren has more ideas for time together.

Either way, use your own photos or ones from the family, and ask anyone pictured (or their parents) before you upload. Our book uses up to 20 photos, each on its own page of 150gsm paper, printed on one side so felt tips don’t spoil the next picture.

Ideas by age of the grandchild

The right idea depends on what the grandchildren can do themselves. Choose something they can genuinely take part in, so the present is really from them.

Babies and toddlers

Babies and toddlers can give a handprint, a footprint or a first scribble, with a grown-up doing the rest. A photo of the baby with a short note “written” by them, or a calendar of their first year, works well.

Ages 3 to 7

Children of three to seven love drawing and colouring, so let them make the present. Colouring pages of the family in our Little Hands style, a homemade card, or salt dough decorations all suit this age.

Ages 8 to 12

Older children can make something more ambitious and write their own message. A detailed coloured-in book in our Detailed style, a recipe book, a short letter about their year or a quiz about the grandparents’ own childhood all work well.

Teenagers

Teenagers often prefer to give time or a skill: setting up a video call app, making a playlist of the grandparents’ favourite songs, or cooking a meal for them. A handwritten letter from a teenager is rare enough to be treasured.

When you can’t be together at Christmas

If the grandparents live far away, send the present straight to them and plan a video call for when they open it. Seeing the children’s faces as they unwrap something the children made is part of the gift.

We can post our colouring book straight to the grandparents: enter their address at checkout. There is no price anywhere in the parcel, and your dedication carries your message. Our page for grandparents and families has more on sending it as a gift. If you would like the children to colour it first, send it to your own address, then wrap and post it on yourself, allowing for the busy December post.

Gifts for more than one set of grandparents

When there are two or more sets of grandparents, the same gift for each avoids comparisons and saves time. Extra copies of one book cost less: £44.97 for two and £15 per additional copy after that, delivery included, and you can order up to 10 copies.

Extra copies travel together in one parcel to one address, so order them to your home and hand them out, or post them on. If you want a different book for each household, with different photos, place a separate order for each one. See our pricing page for every option.

When to order

Order early: homemade presents take longer than you expect, and a book you want coloured in before giving needs time for the colouring too. Order by Saturday 12 December 2026 for Christmas delivery.

We print and post your book within 3 working days of your order, and Royal Mail Tracked 48 usually takes a further 2–3 working days. For how our last order date compares with Royal Mail’s last posting dates, read our guide to Christmas 2026 order and posting dates, and see our Christmas page for more gift ideas.

The present they’ll keep

Whatever you choose, the grandchildren’s part in it is what grandparents remember: their colouring, their handwriting, their faces. Keep it simple, let the children do as much as they can, and send it with a call to say Happy Christmas. If you have questions about delivery or payment, our FAQ has quick answers.