Spending time with grandkids might be the best gift for most grandparents, but they’ll still appreciate a little something extra. After all, they have other interests too. We’ve looked through our guides and asked around to find the best gifts for grandparents, including a deluxe bird-watching station for nature lovers, master classes for the curious, comfort for gardeners, and snacks for foodies. And if the grandkids are their favorites, we’ve got gifts for that, too.
Check out our gift guides for more gift ideas for grandma and grandpa, including the best retirement gifts, gifts for frequent travelers, gifts under $50, and the best gifts for mom.
Bird watcher
Did it happen if a bird visits a bird feeder and no one is there to see it? With the adorably modern Netvue Birdfy Feeder, our pick for the best smart birdfeeder, the answer is yes. It not only sends a phone notification when an avian visitor drops by,
But it also identifies the species 1080p videos and photos have a broad 135-degree view, letting people see a bird up close (even in the dark, thanks to the camera’s color night vision) on their phone screen. Video remains stored in 20-second clips for up to 30 days in the cloud for free; birders can opt for local storage using a microSD card or upgrade to 30-second clips by subscribing to a Birdfy basic plan for $2 per month or $20 per year.
Measure up
Is there a grandparent alive who doesn’t enjoy tracking the growth of their grandkids over the years? This simple Family Growth Chart fits together like a puzzle and is made from lightweight 0.125-inch-thick wood in three color choices. It can be personalized with a family name for no extra charge. The best part is that, unlike a door frame, it can be taken down and rehung if anyone moves or just needs to paint.
It could even capture the growth of several generations.
Family keepsake
A family photo ornament can quickly become an annual offering. We like the mini, 2-by-3-inch vertical or horizontal ornaments from Framebridge, which come on an elegant blue velvet ribbon. Upload your photo, and Framebridge will create a timeless silver framed ornament. It even includes a built-in envelope in the back for storing notes, info, or stories about the photo. It arrives ready to give in a green gift box. Editor Signe Brewster has given her parents a photo of her daughter, now 3 years old, every year for the past four years. “It’s great to have a tradition that grows with the kids when you’re thinking of a gift for grandparents every year,” she said.
Gift of a lifetime
Everyone has a story to share, and Storyworth helps make that happen. In her ode to the service, Wirecutter’s social video manager, Katie Quinn, calls it “the best gift I ever gave my dad.” Each week, you can choose one from among hundreds of questions for Storyworth to email to your loved one. Prompts like “What’s the furthest you’ve ever traveled?” “Do you have any regrets in your life?” or “What is one of your fondest childhood memories?” are designed to get the memories and stories flowing. The answers are emailed to you as they come in and bound into a quality hardcover book at the end of the year, preserving a grandparent’s legacy and many family stories for future generations. “”Watching my dad’s book come together brought me the kind of joy usually felt by a parent seeing their child perform for the first time. It also helped him achieve his dream of writing a book,” says Katie
Wildlife viewing
Initially made for hunters to track animals, a trail camera is also great for nature watchers or anyone curious about what’s happening at night. Our top pick, the Bushnell Core S No Glow 4K, takes high-quality day and night photos with an impressive 0.2-second trigger speed and videos of up to 60 seconds. Our testers caught remarkable color photos of coyotes during the day and good black-and-whites of night-roaming deer. The camera works well in heavy rain, snowstorms, and strong winds and comes with a two-year warranty. Just make sure to include six AA batteries with your gift.
Chess together
Initially made for hunters to track animals, a trail camera is also great for nature watchers or anyone curious about what’s happening at night. Our top pick, the Bushnell Core S No Glow 4K, takes high-quality photos day and night, with a quick 0.2-second trigger speed and videos up to 60 seconds long. Testers caught remarkable color photos of coyotes and good black-and-whites of night deer during the day. The camera works well in heavy rain, snowstorms, and strong winds and has a two-year warranty. Just make sure to include six AA batteries with your gift.
A pleated bag
We’ve spotted many a chic grandma toting Issey Miyake’s Pleats Please bags. For a more affordable version, consider the 19-inch-tall Me Issey Miyake Trunk Pleats Bag, which can expand like an accordion from 1.5 inches to 15 inches wide when filled. The stripped-down, lightweight tote has no interior pockets, but it features the brand’s signature pleats and comes in 12 bright colors.
It’s great for visiting the art museum or sculpture park or packing in a bag for unexpected shopping trips.
A home portrait
Many grandparents spend years making their home just right, creating a warm place for holidays, family meals, and more. Celebrate their hard work and memories with a MyDaVinci Custom House Portrait. All you need to do is upload a high-quality photo of the front of the house to MyDaVinci and choose the art style (like watercolor, pencil sketch, or oil painting). In just a few days, you’ll get proof of the artwork to review and can ask for changes. Once you approve it, the company will print it on your choice of paper or canvas and ship it to you. We ordered a simple 5-by-7-inch watercolor of a family cabin, and it became an instant heirloom admired by every guest.
Easy gardening
If your grandparents are dedicated gardeners, they’ll appreciate this handy Gardener’s Puddle Proof Tote for schlepping trowels and rakes when weeding and planting. The cords on the canvas bag’s eight exterior pockets hold tools in place, and there’s a pocket inside the ample interior compartment, perhaps to have seeds, twine, or labels. The handles are made with suede, making the bag comfortable to carry, and the bottom is rubber, which helps keep things dry.
In living color
When they’re not helping the grandkids, grandparents have time to take up hobbies, particularly ones requiring little patience. Made by a 115-year-old sumi-ink manufacturer in Nara, Japan, the 36-color deliver wonderfully saturated colors, and they’re easy for artists of varying skill levels to work with. The paints are more pigmented than traditional water , so they work well on dark paper. They come in larger and smaller sets as well.
Ethereal arias
Suppose your grandparents are Maria Callas or Luciano Pavarotti stans. In that case, the Met Opera On Demand Gift Subscription delivers all of the thrills of epic arias in a live show—without intermission bathroom lines or having to peer over someone’s head. The streaming service offers over 850 full-length performances, streamable on free smart TVs, tablets, and phone apps. Your grandparents can take in all-time greats and contemporary opera stars,
including mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges (“the Beyoncé of Opera”), in a 2019 performance of Philip Glass’s Akhnaten. The archive also has classic TV shows and audio recordings from as far back as 1935, including a captivating performance of Callas in her only broadcast at the Met from a 1956 show of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. (The subscription does not include live-streaming for live-in HD performances but is typically made available three to six months after their cinema dates.)
Cozy elegance
Naadam’s Original Cashmere Sweater is one of our picks for the best cashmere sweater because it offers a lot for the money—a soft and luxurious texture and a weave tight enough to keep out the wind. This classic shape is neither too tight nor too boxy, and it has a vast range of colors and sizes (from XXS to XXL). And, unlike more expensive cashmere sweaters, this one doesn’t feel too precious to wear daily.
Cashmere provides warm, breathable comfort, and unlike thicker wool, it folds flat, making it perfect for a grandparent who’s always on the move.
A knee saver
Gardeners of any age will appreciate the comfort of this half-bench, half-kneeler. Turning the Deep Seat Garden Kneeler with the bench side down becomes a padded knee protector with handles for balance and support. Flip it over, and it’s a comfy seat for taking breaks while working in the yard. The rust-resistant steel frame means your gardening grandparent doesn’t have to worry about it getting wet from morning dew or a surprise rain shower.
A declaration of love
Whether grandparents have one grandchild or many, the love they feel grows even more. That’s precisely what this simple Aspen + Company Tee expresses without being too sentimental. The Aspen + Company Nana and Grandpa options come in six colors, with a black or white print and a customizable exponent. The soft, lightweight cotton-and-polyester blend makes it a perfect gift for a grandparent who stays active, whether they’re working out or playing pickleball
A show-off calendar
Grandparents never tire of showing off their kids and grandkids. Make that even more effortless by giving them the Artifact Uprising Modern Wall Calendar. We like that this customizable calendar is made from 100% recycled paper fibers, and we also appreciate that the recipient can tear off the photos along perforated edges and keep them forever (unlike with many other calendars, which end up getting chucked or stored away). We love this calendar’s exceptionally sleek design, which offers customizable birthday and event reminders and ample space for jotting down appointments and other important dates.
Outdoor access
You don’t need to conquer the Himalayas to find trekking poles helpful. If the grandparents you love enjoy the outdoors or go for walks in the park, help them enjoy it even more. Black Diamond Pursuit Trekking Poles—our favorites—have comfy cork grips and flexible tips that work in all seasons, with removable baskets. They’re also easy to adjust with a simple lever. They come in two sizes, accommodating hikers from under 5 feet to 6-foot-5. Lonely Planet’s Epic Hikes of the World highlights 50 bucket-list routes in 30 countries. It is the ultimate inspiration for staying active; if international travel isn’t in the cards, consider getting them Epic Hikes of the Americas.
Monthly tea tow
Arkansas artist Stacie Bloomfield decorates these soft, absorbent tea towels with colorful flower and animal prints. Give your grandparents a Gingiber Tea Towel Club Subscription, and this small, woman-owned business will send them a cotton flour-sack tea towel with an exclusive design every month. They will receive their first towel within seven days and again once a month until you cancel. The price includes taxes and shipping, and Gingiber can pause delivery if needed. If the cost per towel seems a little steep, consider them paper towel replacements or, better yet, usable art.
Letters to cherish
This gift takes a bit more time and effort, but it’s worth it for the special connection it creates between grandparents and grandchildren. Letters to My Grandparent is a book of tear-out letters with prompts to help you write memories and loving words. You can seal the letters with the stickers provided and give them to your grandparents to open immediately or after they turn 80—it’s up to you. If you think your grandparents might want to do the same, Letters to My Grandchild could be an excellent gift for them, too.
A family game
Qwirkle is a matching game that’s part strategy and part luck. While many games claim to be fun for the whole family, this one truly is. Staff writer Samantha Schoech’s family has played it since her kids were about 7; they are now 16, and Qwirkle still comes out regularly. The idea is to use Scrabble-like tiles to create patterns or color sequences. Since it doesn’t need math (just keeping score) or spelling, kids and anyone needing more time to think can quickly join in.
A versatile watering can
For the gardening grandparent, the Qilebi Watering Can is one of our favorites for keeping plants watered. It looks nice and holds more water—half a gallon—than many other cans, so your green-thumbed grandparent can water more plants before refilling. The long spout reaches the soil of even large, bushy plants, and the removable rose attachment makes it easy to water several pots gently.
Cozy slippers
As people age, their feet feel colder; your grandparents are no exception. But they don’t have to look sloppy while warming up their feet. The stylish Glerups Wool Slippers, our top pick, are more like house shoes than slippers, with a smooth leather bottom and a soft wool body. If your grandparent enjoys spending time indoors and outdoors—like gardening, walking the dog, or getting the newspaper—they might prefer the version with a rubber sole. Both slippers have an open heel, so your grandparents can easily slide into them without bending down too much.
Scrumptious snacking
Zingerman’s is a well-loved grocery store in Ann Arbor, Michigan, known for its popular foods. The Weekender Gift Box (one of our favorite gift baskets) includes some of their best items, like sour cream coffee cake, peanut brittle, salami, and artisan bread. The food lasts a while, so if your grandparents don’t have guests to help eat it all, they can finish it.
Lifelong learning
For the grandparents who love to learn (or those who’ve watched everything on Netflix), a MasterClass membership is a great gift. It gives access to online classes taught by famous experts in physics, acting, writing, cooking, and more. These classes are even better when enjoyed together. Maybe you and your grandparents can cook a meal with Yotam Ottolenghi or try a yoga class with Donna Farhi.
Monthly blooms
A beautiful bouquet left at the doorstep is the perfect gift—especially for grandparents who have everything. Flowers look lovely anywhere they’re placed, don’t require much care, and don’t add to clutter. Our favourite online flower delivery service is Urban Stems for the highest-quality and most distinctive assortments.
Real photos in the mail
Here’s the truth: Even the most tech-savvy grandparent would prefer to have printed photos than digital ones. If you’re more diligent with texting, the photo subscription service Nana Gram can bridge that gap. Each month (or whichever time frame you choose), you’ll get a text reminder from a unique number the service assigned you. Reply with a few photos—plans currently range in price—and the company prints and mails the pics to the address (or addresses) you have on file. Add other relatives’ digits to the account, and they can join, too. The shiny, high-quality 4×6 prints are perfect for a fridge or frame. It’s more expensive than online photo prints, but convenience and routine are key.
A family slideshow
Photos of grandkids are always a great gift, and that’s especially true when grandparents live far away. We highly recommend the Aura Carver, one of the best digital frames we’ve tried, for uploading unlimited photos for loved ones. It has a big, bright screen that’s easy to see and a simple setup, making it a great gift. You can pair the device to your account (via email or scanning a QR code on the box) and invite family members to contribute photos, all before the recipient unwraps their gift.
A retro radio
If your grandparents aren’t into smart speakers, give them something they’ll enjoy: a stylish tabletop radio. The Sangean WR-11SE stood out for its superb sound and clear reception. It’s easy to use, with precise tuning and a green light that shows when you’ve found the best signal. For those with smartphones, it also has an audio input. The walnut finish adds a nostalgic touch.
A personal weather station
A personal weather station is an excellent gift for grandparents living in areas with unique weather or those who love tracking the forecast. The Netatmo Weather Station is our top pick—it’s easy to set up, has a user-friendly app, and offers helpful extras like rain and wind gauges. Its compact design makes it simple to use, and it tracks data like rainfall, temperature, humidity, and wind speed. Your weather-loving grandparents will enjoy collecting all this info, and you’ll score bonus points if you ask them about the weather later!
Pieces of you
If they enjoy puzzles, they’ll love one made from a favorite family photo. These customizable puzzles from Shutterfly come in different sizes, from 60 pieces (10 x 14 inches) to 1,014 pieces (20 x 30 inches). There’s even a kid-friendly version (11 x 14 inches) with 30 larger, thicker pieces—perfect for working on with the grandkids. Be careful when picking the photo—a picture with lots of snow or sky might make the puzzle extra tricky!
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