Celebrating Mother’s Day with Gifts from the Heart
With Mother’s Day right around the corner, many kids and dads are wondering how to shower mom with their appreciation for everything she does. Mom might say she doesn’t want any gifts, but she’ll love receiving something given from the heart. So how do you let mom know she is the root of the family?
I have six kids of my own, ranging from 6 months to 25 years, and they’ve taught me a thing or two about gifts and activities mom is sure to love on Mother’s Day that will also provide good bonding time for dad while the preparations are being made.
Here are a few unique and meaningful gifts and activities will mom treasure for a lifetime.
1. Plaster plaque. Make your own stepping stone kit. Create with special sayings or memories of fun times with mom. Handprints solidified in cement are cherished forever!
2. Pottery painting store. All kids can make dessert plates while dad makes the cake platter. Make her a new, favorite coffee mug. Design a special picture frame and then add your favorite photo of the kids and mom.
3. Tissue paper flower bouquet. Fairly simple. Pick mom’s favorite colors and fill an old sauce jar with tissue paper flowers. Pipe cleaners make excellent stems.
4. Mother’s Day coupon book. Make a small (or large) paper book and fill with coupons for time spent with kids. Ideas included will range with ages and abilities of kids: free hugs, five minute backrubs, emptying the dishwasher, ice cream with the kids.
5. Mother’s Day scrapbook. Have each child pick their favorite picture of them and mom. Give them an 8.5×11” (or bigger or smaller) sheet of paper and some stickers and glitter and let them design a page to go in mom’s scrapbook. Bind together with a three hole punch and ribbon for a wonderfully handmade book.
6. Homemade jewelry or keychain. Bracelets and necklaces say, “I love you”. Buy a beading kit or beads on their own. Anyone can make these!
7. “Queen for a Day” chair cover (pillowcase and glitter!) Wrap her chair at the dinner table with her very own “Queen for a Day” chair cover. As queen she doesn’t have to cook the meal, serve the meal or clean up after the meal!
8. Photo gifts are always a welcome present. Order or create photo collages online, mugs with kids pictures, canvas totes with a picture of the whole family or wall calendars that she can smile at all year long are fun to create with your kids and for mom to receive.
9. Clean the house. A day off of cleaning the bathrooms and vacuuming the kids room can go a long way!
10. Fill a jar with “365 things we love about mom”. This gift will give her something to smile about all year long.
Beyond gifts, nothing lets mom know how special she is like quality time spent as a family. The following ideas are sure to make this Mother’s Day, the best one yet.
Enjoy a family picnic. Even if it is cold and rainy, you can set up a picnic on your living room floor. But if the sun is shining, pack some food, grab a soccer ball and hit the park for an afternoon. Everyone is guaranteed to have a good time.
Take a day trip. Pack the whole family in the car and drive to the antique store she has always wanted to visit, enjoy the day at the zoo, or visit the beach. Getting out of town, even for a day, feels like a vacation to a busy mom- as long as her family is with her.
Experience something together. Take a boat ride, roller-blade on a path, go to a cooking class. Odds are there is something mom has always wanted to do, but either doesn’t have the time or doesn’t want to take the time away from the family to do it. This Mother’s Day, do it is a family.
There are so many fun and unique ways to show mom your appreciation and let her know how special she is. It will take a bit of planning, but meaningful homemade gifts and activities like the ones above will show mom how much you care about her this Mother’s Day.
