Grandparent Gift: Art of the Month Club

 

Post by Contributing Writer Amy

 

Grandparents and great-grandparents are such a treasure. I really want to give them something special for Christmas. Handmade gifts from their favorite little people always seem like the perfect way to go. However, their tree can only hold so many homemade ornaments and their cupboards so many mugs or plates with precious doodles on them.

 

 

 

The Art of the Month Club is an original gift for grandparents or great-grandparents. It’s especially perfect for those who live far away or in a care facility  Your little artists can ensure that grandma’s fridge, grandpa’s office, or great-grandma’s room at a care facility are always updated with their latest creations. Imagine the excitement of checking the mailbox to find a big envelope scrawled with the loopy, unsteady writing of a precious grandbaby. That’s sure to bring a smile to the face of a treasured grandparent or great-grandparent!

 

 

 

Although the art is priceless, this is a an easy and inexpensive gift to prepare. Here’s what you’ll need:

 

• A pack of 9 inch x 12 inch manilla envelopes
• Address Labels
• Markers
• Stickers or Rubber Stamps

 

If your kids can write, have them at least write the name on the envelopes. We mail them within the continental United States and three stamps would more than cover it. If you want to save some money, you can have them weighed at the post office once they are ready to mail. Our envelopes with 3-5 pieces of art and some photos are usually $1.10 each to mail.

 

 

 

 

Put your return address and the address of your loved one on each envelope. I put sticky notes over the place where I’d need to write the address so the kids wouldn’t decorate there. I didn’t think our great-grandma would love her address all over the internet. :)

 

 

 

 

Have your kiddos decorate each envelope with stickers, rubber stamps, drawings, or little messages. My littlest liked to trace her hand on the backs. I think great-grandma will love it. :) Talk about the seasons and holidays associated with each month to get ideas for decorations. It’s a great way to use up all those half-sheets of stickers lying around, too.

 

 

 

While the kiddos decorate envelopes, put reminders in your own calendar or on your phone to send the envelopes each month. You could also do every two months if you can see yourself or your kids getting overwhelmed with monthly mailings. Remember, you can use art they make at school or daycare as well. You could also make a simple checklist for your kids and post it on the refrigerator, near their art supplies, or anywhere it will be hard to ignore in the house.

 

 

 

 

Take a photo of your kids holding all the envelopes, with their cheesiest smiles, of course. Print the photo and make up a little certificate entitling the lucky recipient to a new one-of-a-kind piece of art each month. They, just wrap it all up! Grandparents or great-grandparents will love getting their mail each month. All the while, your little artists will come understand that art is even more fun when it’s made with love.

 

 

 

 

 

Amy is a former reading and third grade teacher as well as a mother to three little girls with big personalities. She believes joy can always be found in playing, learning, and ice cream.