It can sometimes be hard to make sure that grandparents feel included in family activities. Mobility problems and other impairments can make it hard to pick an activity that will be suitable for everyone, which can sometimes make elderly people feel left out. So when you’re getting ready to celebrate Grandma’s birthday, be sure to do it up right and make it an extra special day so she will feel like a star.
Throw a Party
Throwing a party is a great way to make Grandma feel like the center of attention, but it will require some advanced planning and creativity.
Decide if you are going to throw a small party for family or if you want to invite her friends. If you do decide to invite her friends, you should send physical invitations a few weeks in advance and make follow-up phone calls. Offer to help them arrange transportation if that would otherwise be an impediment to attending a party.
Make sure you have food and beverages available that are appropriate for the crowd. Elderly people may have dietary restrictions or may just not be as interested in trying new foods, so make sure you have lots of good familiar staple items on hand like sandwiches and iced tea.
Plan activities according to your group size and make-up. If you are throwing a party for family, it’s okay to plan some activities for the kids. Have them put on a talent show for Grandma, for example.
For an older crowd, the main activity will likely be conversation, but it’s a good idea to have a few other activities in mind as well. Prepare a slideshow or some old home movies of your grandma. Think of games that focus on and honor her. For example, come up with a bunch of outrageous (but true!) things about her. For example, she was runner-up for Miss Washington in 1953. Intersperse this list with facts about other family members, celebrities, or friends and have your group guess which ones pertain to Grandma and which ones don’t.
You can also make the party extra special by thinking of a fun theme for the party. For example, if Grandma loves old spy thrillers, make it a spy-themed party and invite guests to come dressed up. Host a murder mystery party where guests have to collect clues to try and solve a murder over the course of the party. You could even assign roles to your guests!
Take Her on a Trip
If Grandma can still travel, plan a trip. Think of somewhere she’s always wanted to go and take her there. Make sure to plan out the trip so you can cover all of the activities she’s wanted to do: the Statue of Liberty, the Met, etc. for her trip to New York City or take her on a cruise with the entire family.
A trip like this will be even better if you can make it a family event. If you are up for it, you can take your whole family along, or get together your siblings and make it a Mom and kids trip. Or make it a ladies’ trip and invite all of the women in the family.
Coming Up With Gift Ideas
Is your grandma one of those ladies that brings you sweets whenever she sees you? Get her a birthday gift that reciprocates this, or whatever else makes her special to you. You can go with a sentimental item like a card or painting made by her grandchildren or a framed family photograph signed with loving messages from everyone in the picture.
You could also think about getting her some items that will make a big difference in her day to day life. For example, many elderly people are not comfortable using computers, but tablets can actually be quite intuitive. Get Grandma an iPad and change the settings, if necessary, to make the font larger for her to be able to read better. You should also get her set up with a Skype account and show her how to use it for regular calls with your family.
Photo Credit: Flickr
Have you ever thrown your grandma a huge birthday bash?
If you find this article helpful and useful, please share it with your family and friends. Sharing helps Uplifting Families grow. Thank you for visiting.
Please enable JavaScript to view the <a href="http://sidelinesapp.com/?ref_noscript">discussion by Sidelines.</a>Powered by SidelinesComments
comments
