Father's Day Gifts for Grandpa From the Grandkids

Grandpa gets a Father's Day card from his own kids, but it is the grandkids who make him grin. The best Father's Day gifts for Grandpa from the grandchildren are made by small hands, carry their names, or come with an afternoon of their company. Here are 12 ideas for grandkids of every age, most of them simple enough for a parent to organize in a weekend. Our top pick is a song from all the grandchildren, with every name and his own sayings in it.

Hear a song made by Songbond

This one was made for another family. Yours would carry Grandpa's name and your stories.

12 Father's Day gifts for Grandpa from the grandkids

1. A song from all the grandkids ($39.90). Share each grandchild's name, what they call him and the things only Grandpa does, like the coin trick or the terrible jokes. Songbond turns it into an original song, ready within 24 hours.
2. A "Why I love Grandpa" book from each grandchild. Fill-in books with prompts like "Grandpa is really good at" and "Grandpa always says." Usually $10 to $20 each.
3. A garden stepping stone with their handprints. One stone, every grandchild's hand pressed into the concrete, names scratched in with a stick. A kit costs $20 to $40.
4. A shirt the grandkids decorated. A plain tee and fabric markers. He will wear it to the cookout and tell everyone who drew what. Around $15 to $25.
5. A video interview about his childhood. Let the grandkids ask the questions: what was school like, what was your first car, did you get in trouble. Film it on a phone and send him a copy.
6. His favorite pie, baked by the grandkids. Uneven crust and all. Ingredients usually run $10 to $20.
7. Tomato plants they grew for his garden. Start seeds in spring and give him one labeled plant per grandchild by Father's Day. He will report on each one all summer.
8. A car show or air show outing. Grandpa explains every engine, the grandkids eat ice cream, everyone is happy. Usually $20 to $60 for the family.
9. Golf balls stamped with the grandkids' names. He will hate losing them in the pond. Usually $25 to $45 a dozen.
10. A letter from each older grandchild. Teenagers and grown grandkids can write one page on what Grandpa taught them. Collect them in one envelope.
11. A card game night where he teaches. Gin rummy, cribbage or whatever he played as a boy. The grandkids learn, he wins, and it becomes a tradition.
12. A cap embroidered with "Grandpa" and their names. Something he can wear to the hardware store and show off. Usually $20 to $35.

How to choose based on the grandkids' ages

The best gift is one the grandchildren actually help make. Match the job to what their hands can do, and let a parent handle the rest. If the grandkids span a wide range of ages, pick one gift everyone can add to, so the youngest and the oldest both feel it came from them.

• If they are toddlers: the stepping stone, the decorated shirt or the song.
• If they are in grade school: the fill-in books, the pie or the tomato plants.
• If they are teens or grown: the video interview, the letters or the card game night.

When the grandkids live far away

Distance is common for grandparents, and Father's Day mail has a way of arriving on Tuesday. Keep the physical gift simple and post it a week early: a stack of drawings, a photo, a letter. Then plan a video call for Sunday afternoon and give the grandkids something to do on it, like playing him his song, showing their tomato plants or asking two questions from the interview list. A song is handy here, because nothing needs to be shipped and he can play it the moment the call ends.

Make Grandpa's Father's Day song

Create a Father's Day song for Grandpa. Tell us about him and the grandkids, and his song is ready within 24 hours. If it is Saturday night already, express delivery gets it to you in about an hour.

Also in the Journal: Father's Day songs for Grandpa and Grandparents Day songs.