Grandparents occupy a special place in a child’s life. They’re devoted caregivers, lifelong mentors, eager and trusted babysitters, the loudest part of the cheering section at football games and soccer tournaments and often co-conspirators for one more chocolate chip cookie.

So, with Grandparents' Day coming up on September 11, why not honor those important people with a handmade gift? Here are 20 kid-friendly crafts, ranging from greeting cards to no-bake goodies, that will please the grandparents and promote some family bonding.

Melt Grandma and Grandpa's hearts from afar with these adorable ice cream cone-shaped greeting cards. All you need is a stack of pastel card stock, a pair of scissors, some ribbon and a few glue sticks, plus our free-to-print templates. From there, the kiddos can assemble their cones and write in a thoughtful message. "There's nothing sweeter than having you for a grandparent," perhaps?

Add even more excitement to an upcoming visit by gifting the grandparents a heart-shaped paper chain countdown calendar. This easy yet exciting craft involves cutting card stock into strips, then customizing those strips with drawings and notes. (Think "Can't wait to see you soon!" and "Only five more sleeps!") Instruct the grandparents to remove a heart every day until they reached the main event.

Get the kids' creativity in gear and help them make custom license plate magnets for Grandpa's garage. To pull this sporty craft off, you'll need to visit a local flea market and send your little ones on a scavenger hunt for vintage license plates. Then, back at home, you'll work together to scrub off any dust and select enough colorful letters to spell out his grandkids' names. When all's said and done, Grandpa can show off the magnets on his storage cabinet or tool box.