Gifts for Grandad From the Grandkids: 10 Ideas He'll Actually Treasure

Grandads are some of the easiest people to give to and the hardest to shop for. They don't want stuff. They already have a shed full of tools, a drawer of socks, and three coffee mugs from previous Father's Days. What they actually want is proof that the grandkids think about them. This guide is for parents and grandkids putting together gifts for grandad from the grandkids — small, sentimental, and overwhelmingly personal.

The rule that beats every other rule

Anything with the grandkids in it beats anything you can buy. Drawings, voices, photos, hand-prints, videos, songs. That's the whole list. Once you accept this, the gift gets easy.

1. A digital card with the grandkids in it

One card. Multiple grandkids. Each adds a photo, a drawing, a voice note, or a short clip. Grandad opens his phone and the whole tribe appears at once. Nothing beats it. Put it together in our card builder in about ten minutes.

2. A personalised song from the grandkids

A 2-minute song with the grandkids' names in the lyrics, sung in a warm acoustic or pop style. Hits like a freight train the first time he hears his own grandchildren's names in a chorus. Walk through how this works in our guide to personalised Father's Day songs — for grandads, brief the song from the grandkids' perspective.

3. A "grandad book" the kids make

A photo book that each grandchild adds a page to: their favourite thing about grandad, their favourite memory, a drawing of him. Print services like Chatbooks and Artifact Uprising make it easy.

4. Voice notes saved as a digital keepsake

Each grandchild records one minute answering: "What do you love about grandad?" Compile into one audio file. Send as a link he can play any time.

5. A hand-print or footprint keepsake

For babies and toddlers — a print on canvas, plaster, or even a digital scan turned into a card. Granddads with younger grandkids cry at these every time.

6. A video montage

30 seconds from each grandchild. "Happy Father's Day, Pop." That's it. Stitch together with a song underneath. Send by text on Sunday morning.

7. A drawing of grandad — framed

One grandchild, one drawing, one cheap frame from Kmart or Target. He'll put it on his desk and tell everyone who visits for the next five years.

8. A planted tree or plant in his garden

Grandads with gardens love something they can tend to. A young fruit tree, a herb pot, or a rose — pair it with a card explaining which grandchild picked it and why.

9. A "ticket" for one outing per grandchild

A homemade voucher book — each grandchild "owes" grandad one day out (fishing, lunch, a movie, the footy). Free for you, gold for him.

10. A custom mug, tea towel, or pillow with the grandkids' photos

Yes, it's a cliché. Yes, he'll use it every single day.

What to write in the card

Borrow from our guide on messages from children to dad — most of the grandkids' lines work as-is. Some grandad-specific starters:

• "You make the best [biscuits / pancakes / fish and chips]."
• "I love it when you tell me stories about when Dad was little."
• "You're the only grown-up who actually wants to play."
• "Mum says I'm just like you. I think that's a good thing."

If grandad lives far away

Digital wins by a mile. A card he can open on his phone with the kids' photos and voices is worth more than any package in the post. Schedule it to arrive on Father's Day morning where he lives — most cards let you set the delivery time.

Pair it with a video call later in the day where he opens the card live. The reaction is the gift inside the gift.

If grandad is grieving or unwell

Keep it gentle. Photos of the grandkids, a soft message, no pressure to reply. Sometimes a card he can re-open quietly on his own is exactly what he needs.

The two-gift formula that always works

One emotional gift (the card, the song, the book) + one tiny practical gift (the framed drawing, the plant, the mug). Two things. Done. He'll talk about both.

For brand-new grandads on their first Father's Day in the role, see our piece on first Father's Day gift ideas — many of the same keepsake principles apply.

Ready to make his card?

Open the builder, drop in the kids' photos, add their voices or drawings, and write one specific line from each grandchild. He'll save it on his phone for years.

Make grandad's Father's Day card →