After countless hours covered in craft glue, glitter, and construction paper, I’ve mastered the art of school event decorations—testing, fixing fails, and discovering solutions that actually work for busy teachers and staff.
But I know the struggle: Want to make your school shine for Grandparents’ Day without overwhelming your schedule, or finding projects that truly engage every student? I’ve spent hours figuring this out, sometimes with family by my side, and I’ve been there too.
That’s why in this post, I’ll show you exactly how to solve these challenges with tips I’ve tested myself. Stick with me, and you’ll learn how to transform your school into a vibrant tribute to grandparents while creating magical “Memory Maker” moments with your loved ones! 💖
My Top 4 Picks From This List 🏆
If you’re short on time, these are the absolute must-try ideas that I personally love for creating a big impact with student art projects and building a wonderful school community celebration!
- The “Family Tree of Love” Hallway Mural: This is a showstopper for any school event decorations, offering massive visual impact and easy collaboration.
- “Reasons We Love You” Paper Chain Garland: Simple, highly collaborative, and creates a long, heartwarming display for any classroom or hallway.
- “Grandparent Portrait Gallery”: A beautiful way for students to express themselves artistically, resulting in a striking and personal display.
- “Memory Lane” Photo & Artwork Display: A heartwarming and easy-to-update display that truly captures the essence of “Memory Maker” moments.
A Few Supplies for Success 🛠️
As your Trusted Family Advisor, I’ve learned that having a few key supplies on hand makes all the difference for any large-scale school decoration project. Here’s my go-to list for these collaborative ideas:
✅ Large Rolls of Butcher Paper
✅ Washable Tempera Paints & Brushes
✅ Construction Paper (various colors) & Markers
✅ Glue Sticks & Scissors (child-safe)
✅ Yarn or String for Hanging
✅ A Smartphone or Camera (👑 Nancy’s Pick: I always recommend having a simple photo printer on hand for instant display of student-grandparent photos! It’s a game-changer for creating immediate “Memory Maker” moments that everyone can see and cherish.)
1. The “Family Tree of Love” Hallway Mural 🌳
This idea transforms a plain hallway wall into a stunning, collaborative masterpiece for Grandparents’ Day. Students contribute by adding colorful handprint “leaves” to a large, pre-drawn tree, each embellished with a small photo or drawing of their grandparent. It’s a fantastic way to create a massive visual impact that celebrates family connections and makes for truly heartwarming school event decorations.
💡 Pro-Tip: Pre-draw the tree trunk and branches on butcher paper, then assign sections to different classes for leaf contributions to streamline the process and ensure everyone has a part!
[Image Placement Instruction: image-1: A vibrant school hallway wall adorned with a large, colorful “Family Tree of Love” mural, featuring many student handprints and small photos.]
2. “Grandparent Interview” Banners 🎙️
This project encourages students to engage with their grandparents (or talk about them if they’re not available) and capture unique personal stories. Each student creates an individual banner featuring answers from their interview, along with drawings or photos, which are then proudly displayed. It’s a wonderful way to connect literacy skills with a personal touch, making for meaningful Grandparents’ Day activities for school.
👑 Nancy’s Golden Rule: Encourage students to ask open-ended questions like “What was school like when you were my age?” or “What’s your favorite family tradition?” to spark richer, more detailed stories and create truly special “Memory Maker” moments.
[Image Placement Instruction: image-2: A school classroom or hallway with several colorful, student-made banners hanging, each featuring drawings, text, and photos related to a grandparent.]
3. “Reasons We Love You” Paper Chain Garland ❤️
This super simple yet incredibly impactful decoration involves students writing one reason they love their grandparent on individual strips of construction paper. These strips are then glued together to form a long, decorative paper chain garland that can stretch across classrooms or hallways. It’s highly collaborative, budget-friendly, and creates a long, heartwarming display that embodies the spirit of a school community celebration.
💡 Pro-Tip: Assign each class a specific color of paper for their chain links to create a beautiful rainbow effect when all the sections are combined in the hallway!
[Image Placement Instruction: image-3: A long, colorful paper chain garland stretching across a school hallway, with visible handwritten messages on some of the links.]
4. “Our Grandparents’ Story” Door Decorating Contest 🚪
Turn every classroom door into a canvas for celebrating grandparents! Each class decorates their door with a theme representing “Our Grandparents’ Story” or “What Makes Our Grandparents Special,” using various craft supplies, construction paper, and photos. It fosters classroom pride, encourages creative expression, and provides easy school decorations that make each classroom unique.
💡 Pro-Tip: To encourage friendly competition and high-quality displays, provide a simple rubric for judging that focuses on creativity, adherence to the theme, and student involvement.
[Image Placement Instruction: image-4: A brightly decorated classroom door with a Grandparents’ Day theme, featuring student artwork and perhaps photos.]
5. “Memory Lane” Photo & Artwork Display 🖼️
Dedicate a section of your hallway or a bulletin board to a “Memory Lane” where students can display cherished photos of their grandparents alongside their own drawings or written memories. This idea is wonderfully personal, heartwarming, and easy to update, making it a perfect example of classroom decor ideas that resonate deeply. My go-to trick for this is creating a welcoming, organized space.
👑 Nancy’s Golden Rule: Create a consistent border or simple frame (even just from construction paper) for each display piece to give the entire “Memory Lane” a cohesive and polished look, truly highlighting each “Memory Maker” moment.
[Image Placement Instruction: image-5: A bulletin board or wall section in a school, neatly arranged with various student drawings, small photos of grandparents, and handwritten captions.]
6. “Grandparents’ Day Welcome Archway” 🎉
Create a grand entrance for your special guests with a collaborative “Grandparents’ Day Welcome Archway” at the school entrance or main hallway. Students can decorate large letters spelling “Welcome Grandparents!” and embellish the arch with balloons and streamers. It’s a high-impact project that immediately sets a festive tone for your school community celebration.
💡 Pro-Tip: Involve older students in the construction of the archway frame, and then let younger students take the lead in decorating the letters and adding colorful embellishments. This ensures everyone contributes!
[Image Placement Instruction: image-6: A festive school entrance or hallway archway decorated with colorful student-made letters and streamers, welcoming visitors.]
7. “Family Recipe Quilt” Display 🍲
This unique idea celebrates cultural connections and family traditions. Each student draws or writes a favorite family recipe, or a cherished memory of cooking with a grandparent, on a paper “quilt square.” These individual squares are then assembled into a large “quilt” for display, creating a vibrant and delicious-looking piece of student art projects.
💡 Pro-Tip: Encourage students to include a small drawing of the food, the ingredients, or even a family member on their quilt square for added visual appeal and a truly personal “Memory Maker” touch.
[Image Placement Instruction: image-7: A large, colorful “quilt” made of many paper squares, each featuring a handwritten recipe or drawing, displayed on a school wall.]
8. “Gratitude Garden” of Flowers 🌸
Transform a hallway or classroom into a beautiful “Gratitude Garden” where students create colorful paper flowers. On each petal or the center of their flower, they write something they are grateful for about their grandparents. These heartfelt flowers are then “planted” in a designated area, creating a visually appealing and deeply positive message for Grandparents’ Day activities for school.
👑 Nancy’s Golden Rule: Use green butcher paper as a “garden bed” backdrop along the wall to make the vibrant, colorful paper flowers truly pop and create an immersive display.
[Image Placement Instruction: image-8: A school hallway or classroom corner transformed into a “Gratitude Garden” with numerous student-made paper flowers, each with a message of thanks.]
9. “Grandparent Portrait Gallery” 🎨
Encourage artistic expression by having students draw or paint portraits of their grandparents. These personal and diverse portraits are then displayed together in a “gallery” style along a hallway, creating a striking visual tribute. It’s one of my favorite teacher resources for Grandparents Day because it’s both personal and promotes artistic skill.
💡 Pro-Tip: Provide students with a variety of skin tone and hair color art supplies to ensure they can create accurate and inclusive representations of their beloved grandparents.
[Image Placement Instruction: image-9: A school hallway wall lined with a “gallery” of diverse student-drawn or painted portraits of grandparents, perhaps with simple paper frames.]
10. “Time Capsule of Memories” Display 🕰️
Each class can create and decorate a “time capsule” box with Grandparents’ Day themes. Inside, students place drawings, letters, or small items representing cherished memories with their grandparents. The beautifully decorated boxes are then displayed, creating an engaging and unique decoration that builds anticipation for future “Memory Maker” moments.
👑 Nancy’s Golden Rule: Encourage students to write a short letter to their future selves about what they cherish most about their grandparents right now, to be read when the “capsule” is opened later – a truly special touch!
[Image Placement Instruction: image-10: A display of several brightly decorated “time capsule” boxes in a school setting, perhaps with student names or class numbers visible.]
Make it Your Own ✨
As your Trusted Family Advisor, I know that every school has its own unique needs and resources. Don’t be afraid to mix and match these ideas or put your own spin on them to create truly unique school event decorations!
✅ Combine the “Family Tree of Love” with the “Grandparent Portrait Gallery” for a multi-layered, visually rich hallway display.
✅ Adapt any craft for younger students by providing pre-cut shapes, larger materials, or simpler, step-by-step instructions.
✅ Use a school-wide theme (e.g., “Super Grandparents” or “Grandparents Are Our Heroes”) to unify all classroom decor ideas and displays.
✅ Involve parent volunteers for cutting, organizing, or hanging decorations to significantly ease the teacher workload and build community.
Your Thoughtful Questions Answered 🤔
A question I get all the time in my DMs from teachers is about making these projects work seamlessly. As your Trusted Family Advisor, I’m here to help!
Q1: How can we ensure all students, including those without grandparents nearby, can participate meaningfully?
A1: This is so important for creating an inclusive school community celebration! Encourage students to celebrate any special elder in their life – an aunt, uncle, family friend, mentor, or even a community helper. They can also draw or write about an imaginary grandparent, or a grandparent figure from a book, focusing on the qualities they admire. The goal is to celebrate the spirit of grandparental love and wisdom.
Q2: What are some budget-friendly ways to make these decorations look professional and impactful?
A2: My go-to trick is to focus on consistency and bold colors. Use large rolls of butcher paper as a base for murals or bulletin boards – it’s inexpensive and covers a lot of space. Stick to a limited color palette for each project to make it look cohesive. Simple construction paper frames or backing for student artwork can elevate the look without costing much. Don’t underestimate the impact of neat handwriting and clear labeling for all student art projects!
Q3: We have limited time for decorations. Which ideas offer the most visual impact for the least amount of prep?
A3: If time is tight, the “Reasons We Love You” Paper Chain Garland is a fantastic choice – it’s collaborative, quick for individual students, and creates a long, impressive display. The “Gratitude Garden” of Flowers is also relatively low-prep, as students can quickly create and write on their flowers. For a big hallway display, the “Family Tree of Love” mural can be streamlined by pre-drawing the tree and having classes add handprint leaves in stages.
Ready to Create Unforgettable Memories?
Grandparents’ Day is more than just an event; it’s a precious opportunity to foster connection, gratitude, and create lasting “Memory Maker” moments within your school community. These collaborative, budget-friendly decoration ideas are designed to make your school shine and show every grandparent just how much they’re cherished. Which of these collaborative decoration ideas will you bring to life in your school this Grandparents’ Day? Share your plans in the comments below!
