A birthday card for your granddaughter, from Grandma, Grandpa or both
Choose a picture, type her name and send the link. It's a free birthday ecard, it takes about a minute, and neither of you has to sign up for anything. She opens an envelope and reads a short letter from a grandparent who notices more than she thinks.
A birthday letter for your granddaughter from her grandparent
The message is the same for every granddaughter card. Only the name changes, so there is nothing to sign up for and nothing to store.
Dear their name,
Another birthday, and I'm still not used to how quickly they come round for you.
One of the best things about being your grandparent is that I don't have to worry about the small stuff. I just get to watch, and I notice a lot: how kind you are when you think nobody is looking, the way you laugh, and how you keep going at things other people would give up on.
Whatever you do with this next year, I'm on your side. You don't have to earn that. It came with the job.
Have a lovely day, eat the good cake, and call me when you get a minute. I always want to hear how it went.
All my love. Happy birthday.
A letter that grows up with her
Granddaughters can be four or forty, and the letter had to work for both. So it skips the usual lines about school, princesses or careers. It talks about what a grandparent actually sees: her kindness, her laugh, the way she sticks at things, and the fact that your support isn't conditional.
A young child will hear it read aloud and catch the bit about cake. A teenager will roll her eyes at first and reread it later. A grown granddaughter, often a parent herself by now, tends to read it as exactly what it is: someone who has loved her for her whole life saying so in writing.
From Grandma, Grandpa, Nani, Oma
The letter never names the sender, so it works from a grandmother, a grandfather or both of you together. Put the names she calls you in the message you send the link with: from Nana and Grandad, from Dadi, from Oma and Opa. That's how she'll know who it's from before she even opens it.
Grandparents by marriage, step-grandparents and great-grandparents can use it too. Nothing in the words depends on how the family tree is drawn.
How to send it, step by step
If you're not used to sending links, this is the easy part. Choose a picture on this page, type her name in the box and press the red button. You'll get a link and a button to copy it.
Then open WhatsApp, Messages or your email, start a message to your granddaughter, or to her mom or dad if she's little, and paste the link in. That's all. When she taps it, an envelope opens on her screen and the card comes out.
- Not sure how to paste? Press and hold in the message box, then tap Paste.
- Ask a son or daughter to send it for you if you'd rather. The card looks the same whoever forwards it.
- Send it early in the day so it's waiting for her when she wakes up.
If you want to say a bit more
The letter can't be changed, but the message you paste the link into can say anything you like. Grandchildren tend to love a small memory: the time she fell asleep in your car, the song she made you play on repeat, the first time she beat you at cards. If there's a present or some money on its way, mention it there too.
If you live far apart, add when you'll next see her or when you'll call. A card with a date attached feels much closer.
The three pictures
The first is photo-style: a grandmother and a little girl with braids walking hand in hand through a sunflower field at golden hour, towards a picnic with a small cake. The second is bright 3D animation of a smiling grandfather and his granddaughter at a garden tea party, with teddy bears as guests and a pink cake. The third is a soft watercolor of a girl in a yellow dress releasing butterflies outside a thatched cottage, with a cake on the garden table.
The young girls in the pictures suit a granddaughter of any age, the same way a baby photo suits a grown-up on her birthday. If she's older, the sunflower field is the gentlest choice.
Questions people ask
What do you write in a birthday card for a granddaughter?
Tell her what you notice about her and that you'll always be on her side. Add one memory or a plan to see her. The letter on this card covers the first part, so your own words can go in the message you send with the link.
Can the card be from both grandparents?
Yes. The letter works from one grandparent or two and doesn't name the sender. Write both your names, as she says them, in the message with the link.
Is it suitable for a grown-up granddaughter?
Yes. Nothing in the letter assumes her age. It talks about her kindness, her laugh and your support, which reads just as well at thirty as at six. The pictures show a young girl, so pick the one you think she'd smile at.
I'm not good with phones. Is this hard to send?
No. You type her name, press one button and copy the link. Then paste it into a WhatsApp chat, a text or an email to her. If you get stuck, anyone in the family can send it for you and it will look exactly the same.
Can I send it to a great-granddaughter or step-granddaughter?
Yes. The letter only assumes you're her grandparent in the way that matters. It works for great-granddaughters, step-granddaughters and granddaughters by marriage.
Can I change what the letter says?
No, every granddaughter card has the same letter. You pick the picture and type her name, and that's all the link carries. That's why the card is free and nothing about it is stored.
Does she need to download anything?
No. It opens in the browser on her phone, tablet or computer. She taps the link, then the envelope, then the picture to read the letter.