Birthday Wishes for Your Grandson: 55+ Messages for Any Age

Grandsons are famously brief readers of birthday cards, which makes the first two lines the only ones that count. Here are 55+ original messages for a grandson at any age.

Send yours in a free birthday ecard.

Quick birthday wishes for your grandson

1. Happy birthday! Have a cracking day.
2. Happy birthday to our favourite grandson.
3. Happy birthday! Lots of love from Nan and Grandad.
4. Happy birthday, lad. Enjoy every minute.
5. Wishing you a brilliant birthday.
6. Happy birthday! We are very proud of you.
7. Happy birthday! Thinking of you today.
8. Happy birthday to a great lad.
9. Happy birthday! Hope it is a good one.
10. Many happy returns! Love from us both.
11. Happy birthday! Have a great day.
12. Happy birthday! Sending you a big hug, whether you want one or not.

Heartfelt messages

1. Happy birthday. Watching you grow up has been one of the real pleasures of our lives.
2. Happy birthday! You have got your grandfather’s stubbornness and it will serve you well.
3. Happy birthday. We are proud of you in a way that is hard to fit in a card.
4. Happy birthday! Whatever you decide to go after, we are behind you.
5. Happy birthday, lad. You have turned into a decent person, and that counts for more than anything.
6. Happy birthday! Being your grandparents has been a genuine privilege.
7. Happy birthday. Trust yourself more — you are usually right.
8. Happy birthday! Never doubt how much you are thought of in this house.
9. Happy birthday. Keep going the way you are. It is working.
10. Happy birthday. Loved enormously, today and always.

For a little boy

1. Happy birthday! Hope there is cake and total chaos.
2. Happy birthday! You are getting so tall.
3. Happy birthday to the funniest boy we know.
4. Happy birthday! Hope you get the one you actually wanted.
5. Happy birthday, champ! Have a brilliant party.
6. Happy birthday! Come and see us soon — we will do something good.
7. Happy birthday! Sending you a massive high five.
8. Happy birthday! Have the best day ever.

For a teenage grandson

1. Happy birthday! You are doing better than you think you are.
2. Happy birthday, lad. These years are not easy — you are handling them well.
3. Happy birthday! No rush to have it all worked out. Nobody does.
4. Happy birthday. Be exactly who you are, whatever anyone else says.
5. Happy birthday! We are always here, and we never take sides against you.
6. Happy birthday! Enjoy this year. Ring your nan occasionally.
7. Happy birthday! Something in the card, as usual. Waste it on something daft.
8. Happy birthday! You are cleverer than you let on.

For a grown-up grandson

1. Happy birthday! Odd and rather good watching you become a proper adult.
2. Happy birthday. You have made something of yourself and you did it your own way.
3. Happy birthday! Still your grandparents, still on your side.
4. Happy birthday. We enjoy your company now as much as we adored you as a baby.
5. Happy birthday! Proud of how you have got on this year.
6. Happy birthday, lad. Come round for a pint and catch us up.
7. Happy birthday! From small chaotic boy to someone we ask for advice.
8. Happy birthday. Whatever you are working towards, keep at it.

Short messages

1. Happy birthday, lad!
2. Have a great day.
3. So much love on your birthday.
4. Proud of you.
5. Happy birthday to our favourite grandson.
6. Lots of love from us both.
7. Have a cracking one!
8. Many happy returns!
9. Happy birthday! Loved always.
10. Big hug, lad.

How to write it

1. Say you are proud, plainly. Boys and young men are told this far less often than they should be.
2. Match his age. “Champ” works at seven and is excruciating at seventeen.
3. Keep it to a few lines. Most grandsons read the top of the card and stop. Front-load the good part.
4. Back him rather than advise him. Unconditional support from a grandparent is worth more than guidance.

Send it — and pair it with a gift

A free birthday ecard arrives on the day. See also birthday wishes for your son and 18th birthday wishes:

FAQ

What do you write in a birthday card for your grandson?

Tell him you are proud and name one thing you admire. Keep it to a few lines — most grandsons do not read past the first two.

What do you write to a teenage grandson?

Back him without advising him. A grandparent’s card should be the one place free of instruction.

What do you write to an adult grandson?

Acknowledge what he has built and invite his company rather than offering guidance.

Is money in the card acceptable?

Yes, and for teenagers usually the preferred gift. The message still makes it personal.

What is a good short message?

“Happy birthday, lad! Lots of love from Nan and Grandad.”

Should it be handwritten?

If you can. The handwriting is what makes the card a keepsake years later.