When Is Grandparents' Day 2026? Everything You Need to Know

National Grandparents Day 2026 falls on Sunday, September 13, 2026. That's because Grandparents Day always lands on the first Sunday after Labor Day, and Labor Day 2026 is Monday, September 7.

If that date sneaks up fast, it's worth writing down now. Unlike Mother's Day or Father's Day, Grandparents Day doesn't get nearly the same amount of calendar real estate, which means it's easy to miss until the week of.

What Is National Grandparents Day?

National Grandparents Day is a holiday set aside to honor grandparents and celebrate the bond between generations. It was established to give grandparents a day of their own, separate from Mother's Day and Father's Day, and to encourage children to learn from the older generations in their families.

Who Started Grandparents Day?

Marian Lucy McQuade, a West Virginia housewife and grandmother of 15, began campaigning in the early 1970s to create a day honoring grandparents and nursing home residents. Her efforts paid off in 1978, when President Jimmy Carter signed a proclamation officially establishing National Grandparents Day as the first Sunday after Labor Day every year.

What Is the Official Flower of Grandparents Day?

The forget-me-not. It was chosen because it captures exactly what the day is about: remembering the people who shaped a family's story.

Why Is Grandparents Day Always in September, After Labor Day?

Grandparents Day is deliberately scheduled for early fall rather than a fixed calendar date, similar to how Mother's Day and Father's Day float rather than land on the same number every year. 

The first-Sunday-after-Labor-Day placement was written directly into the 1978 proclamation, which is why the date shifts by a few days each year but always sits in that same early-September window.

That means Grandparents Day will always fall between September 8 and September 14, depending on where Labor Day lands that year.

How Do Families Typically Celebrate Grandparents Day?

Most Grandparents Day celebrations are simple and low-pressure. Common ways families mark the day include:

• Sharing a family meal together
• A phone or video call, especially for grandparents who live far away
• A handwritten card
• A visit, even a short one
• Schools inviting grandparents in for a classroom event
• Starting a new yearly tradition, like a photo together or a recorded conversation about the grandparent's life

The holiday doesn't come with the same gift-giving expectations as Mother's Day or Father's Day, which actually makes it a good excuse to do something more personal instead of something store-bought.

What Are Good Gifts for Grandparent's Day?

If a gift is part of the plan, the best Grandparents Day gifts tend to be the ones that don't just get used once. Remento's guide to personalized gifts for grandparents rounds up keepsake ideas built around this same idea: something that holds a memory rather than just marking the day.

Another low-key way to mark Grandparents Day, gift or no gift, is simply to sit with them and ask better questions to understand our grandparents better. Remento's list of questions to ask your grandparents is a good starting point for a phone call or visit that goes past "how are you."

What is a Meaningful Way to Celebrate Grandparents Day?

Nine in ten adults with living parents say they wish they knew more about their parents' lives, There's a lot that never comes up in casual conversation.

The families who get the most out of Grandparents Day tend to treat it as a chance to ask questions they haven't asked yet, not just a card in the mail. 

A few ways families do this well:

• Ask about a specific decade, first job, or early home instead of a broad "tell me about your childhood"
• Bring an old photo and ask a grandparent to talk about it
• Record the conversation, even just on a phone, instead of relying on memory afterward
• Involve grandchildren directly by having them ask the questions
• Turn it into a yearly habit instead of a one-time Grandparents Day event

That last point is where a lot of good intentions quietly stall. 

A single conversation is easy to have once and hard to keep up on your own, which is the gap Remento tries to fill. 

Everyone who sets out to record their life story with Remento receives a gentle weekly prompt by text or email. These questions can be chosen by the family from our question bank or created themselves, making it easy to capture the stories that matter most to them.

They can respond to it by recording themselves talking, no writing required. Remento uses Speech-to-Story™ which helps to turn the recording into a written story for the keepsake book. Each chapter has a QR code linking back to the original recording so their actual voice is never lost.

See how Remento works

Do you need to be tech-savvy to use Remento?

For families worried a grandparent isn't tech-savvy enough to try something like this, that hesitation is common, and it's usually unfounded. 

In one Remento customer review, Heather described how her mother "was quick to overcome her initial nerves and soon embraced the process with enthusiasm" once she actually started recording. And the payoff shows up on the other end too: Heather said the best part was watching her kids realize "they're just excited that they get to know who their grandparents are," turning old family stories into something the next generation actually looked forward to hearing.

Frequently Asked Questions About Grandparents Day

What are some thoughtful gifts to give grandparents on Grandparent’s Day? Anything that preserves a memory tends to mean more than something store-bought, think a keepsake memory book, a recorded conversation, or a custom photo book (see our full gift guide for more ideas).

Is Grandparents Day a federal holiday? No. National Grandparents Day is an official, presidentially proclaimed observance, but it's not a federal holiday. Schools, banks, and offices stay open as usual.

Is Grandparents Day always in September? Yes. It's fixed to the first Sunday after Labor Day, so it always falls in early-to-mid September, between September 8 and September 14.

Who started Grandparents Day? Marian Lucy McQuade, a grandmother from West Virginia, led the campaign that resulted in President Jimmy Carter's 1978 proclamation establishing the holiday.

What is the official flower of Grandparents Day? The forget-me-not.

Ready to give a gift that preserves a grandparent's stories, not just marks the occasion? Start a Remento book today.