Photo gifts for grandparents: 12 ideas that actually get displayed
You know what grandparents don't need? Another scarf. Another box of chocolates. Another gift card they'll forget about in a kitchen drawer. What they want — and what they'll tell every visitor about — is something with photos of the grandkids.
Photo gifts for grandparents work because grandparents are the original sharers. They had photo albums before Facebook existed. They carried wallet-sized photos of their grandkids before smartphones had cameras. Giving them photos in a physical format isn't just a gift. It's speaking their language.
Here are 12 photo gift ideas for grandparents, ranked by how likely they are to actually get used and displayed rather than shoved in a closet.
Why grandparents love photo gifts
It's not complicated. Grandparents want to see their grandkids, and for most of them, that doesn't happen as often as they'd like. A photo gift puts those faces in front of them every day — on the coffee table, on the wall, on the fridge.
There's also a showing-off factor that shouldn't be underestimated. When friends come over for coffee, grandparents want something to point to. "Look at this one — that's from Sarah's dance recital." A printed photo book or a canvas on the wall gives them that opportunity in a way a phone screen can't. Nobody passes a phone around a dining table for 20 minutes. But a photo book? That gets passed around.
Digital photos also have a practical problem for many grandparents: they're hard to access. Not every grandparent is comfortable scrolling through Instagram or navigating Facebook albums. A printed photo gift removes the technology barrier entirely. They just open the book or glance at the wall.
The 12 best photo gifts for grandparents
1. A social media photo book (best overall)
If the grandkids' parents have been posting on Facebook or Instagram for years, the photo book already exists — it just hasn't been printed yet.
My Social Book pulls photos directly from Facebook, Instagram, or Dropbox and generates a complete printed book in under 3 minutes. No selecting files. No uploading. No spending an entire Saturday arranging layouts. The system creates the book automatically, organized by date, with captions, likes, and locations preserved alongside each photo.
For a grandparent gift, this is ideal. Connect your own account (the parent's account, where the grandkid photos are), preview the book, remove any posts that aren't family-related, and order. A few years of Facebook posts can produce a 200+ page book that reads like a family journal. Grandparents don't just see the photos — they read the captions you wrote when you posted them, which adds a layer of storytelling that a plain photo album can't match.
Hardcover glossy is the most popular format for gifts. Books range from 25 to 450 pages, and most customers get 40% or more off with regular promotions. After 12 years and 700,000+ books, it's a proven product with a 4.7 Trustpilot rating.
Start a free preview to see how many pages your book would be.
2. Canvas print
A single great photo printed on canvas and stretched over a wooden frame. Pick the best photo of the grandkids you have — the one where everyone's actually looking at the camera and nobody's mid-blink — and get it printed at 16x20 or larger. Costs $30-$80 depending on size and provider. Canvaspop and Shutterfly both do reliable work. Hangs on the wall and becomes a permanent fixture. Simple, effective, hard to go wrong.
3. Custom photo calendar
A 12-month wall calendar with a different grandkid photo for each month. Mark family birthdays and anniversaries on the relevant dates. $20-$35 from most providers. Grandparents look at their wall calendar every single day (yes, many still use wall calendars), so this gets maximum daily visibility. Make a new one each year as a recurring gift — they'll expect it, and they'll love it.
4. Photo blanket
A fleece or sherpa blanket printed with a collage of grandkid photos. $50-$80 from Shutterfly, Collage.com, or Walmart Photo. Grandparents who get cold easily (so, most grandparents) will actually use this on the couch. It's a photo gift that doubles as something functional. The collage format lets you include 10-20 photos on a single blanket.
5. Photo mug
The classic. A ceramic mug with a grandkid's face on it. It's been done a million times because it works. Grandparents use it every morning with their coffee. $12-$20 from basically any photo printing service. Low cost, high daily usage. Not the most creative option on this list, but probably the best ratio of cost to how often it gets used. Get a set of two if both grandparents drink coffee.
6. Digital photo frame
A wifi-connected frame that cycles through photos you upload remotely. Skylight and Aura are the market leaders at $150-$200. The selling point: you can add new photos from your phone at any time, and they appear on grandma's frame automatically. No visits required. If the grandparents are somewhat tech-comfortable, this is a gift that keeps updating itself. If they struggle with technology, stick with something printed.
7. Photo puzzle
A jigsaw puzzle made from a family photo. 500 or 1000 pieces, $25-$50. Shutterfly, Walgreens, and several Etsy sellers offer these. Grandparents who like puzzles will spend hours on this — and then they'll glue it together and frame it. It's a two-in-one gift: an activity and a keepsake. Pick a photo with strong colors and distinct areas (a beach photo works better than a photo of everyone in matching white shirts against a white wall).
8. Photo ornament
A Christmas ornament with a grandkid's photo printed or engraved on it. $10-$25. Add one each year with a dated photo, and after a decade the Christmas tree tells the story of the grandkids growing up. This is the kind of gift that becomes a tradition. Small, affordable, and grandparents love decorating with family photos during the holidays.
9. Photo keychain or locket
For grandparents who want to carry photos of the grandkids everywhere. A small photo keychain runs $10-$15. A locket necklace with a tiny photo inside is $25-$60. Old school? Sure. But there's something about a grandmother pulling a locket open to show someone her grandchild that never gets old.
10. Custom photo book (specific theme)
If a full social media book is the comprehensive option, a themed photo book is the focused one. Create a book around a specific topic: "Grandpa and Emma's Fishing Adventures" or "The Summer the Kids Spent at Grandma's." Upload photos from your phone to Dropbox and use My Social Book's Dropbox integration to build the book. More work than the automated social media version, but the focused theme can be very meaningful for grandparents.
11. Photo coasters
A set of 4-6 coasters, each with a different photo. $20-$35 from Shutterfly, Snapfish, or Etsy. Functional and visible on the coffee table daily. Stone or ceramic coasters hold up better than the cheaper options. They're conversation starters when guests come over — "Oh, is that your granddaughter?" works every time.
12. Photo plate or serving tray
A decorative plate or wooden serving tray with a family photo. $25-$50. These usually end up displayed on a plate stand or shelf rather than used for actual serving, which is fine — that's the point. Works best with a formal family portrait or a particularly good group photo.
How to choose the right photo gift for your grandparent
For the grandparent who loves to show off: A photo book or canvas print. Something visible that gives them an excuse to tell stories. A My Social Book is perfect because it has hundreds of pages of material — they can flip to any page and share a memory.
For the practical grandparent: A blanket, mug, or calendar. Something they'll use in their daily routine, not just display.
For the sentimental grandparent: A locket, ornament, or themed photo book. The more personal and specific, the better. An ornament with a handwritten note from the grandchild is hard to beat.
For the hard-to-buy-for grandparent: A social media photo book. You're not asking them what they want or guessing their size or taste. You're giving them their family's story in print. It works every time because the content is already personal by definition.
On a budget: Photo mugs ($12-$20), ornaments ($10-$25), and keychains ($10-$15) are all under $25 and still feel personal. A My Social Book softcover starts at $33 before discounts.
Tips for better photo gifts
- Use recent photos. Grandparents want to see what the grandkids look like now, not three years ago. Include current photos alongside older ones.
- Include candid shots, not just posed ones. The photo of the kid covered in birthday cake is more interesting than the stiff family portrait. Real moments beat staged ones.
- Add context when you can. Dates, captions, and descriptions add meaning. This is where My Social Book has an advantage — it preserves the captions and dates automatically from your social media posts.
- Check the resolution. Photos pulled from social media or saved from text messages can be low quality. For canvas prints and large formats, use the highest resolution original you have. For photo books, My Social Book handles the resolution optimization automatically.
- Order early. Personalized products typically take 7-15 business days to produce and ship. For Christmas and birthdays, give yourself at least 2-3 weeks of lead time.
Frequently asked questions
What's the best photo gift for grandparents who aren't tech-savvy?
Anything printed. A photo book, canvas, calendar, or blanket requires zero technology to enjoy. The whole point is that they just pick it up, hang it on the wall, or wrap it around their shoulders. Digital photo frames are great but only if the grandparent is comfortable with wifi and occasional troubleshooting.
Can I make a photo book of my grandkids without uploading hundreds of photos?
Yes — that's the main advantage of My Social Book. If you've been posting photos on Facebook or Instagram, the book creates itself automatically from your existing posts. No uploading, no selecting, no arranging. Preview it in under 3 minutes, remove any posts you don't want included, and order.
What size photo book do grandparents prefer?
Bigger is generally better for grandparents. A 100-200 page hardcover gives them enough material to spend real time with the book. My Social Book's format is 21cm x 25cm (roughly 8.3 x 9.8 inches), which is a comfortable size for a coffee table book. Hardcover is recommended for gifts since it holds up better with frequent handling.
For more ideas about creating books from Facebook, visit our guide on making a book from your Facebook account.
