Mother’s Day is almost here, and it’s likely to be a little different this year in these days of quarantine and social distancing. Many students put together thoughtful crafts at school, to take home, but that just isn’t possible. However, we were able to put together this list full of Mother’s Day ideas teachers can help kids to do on their own at home. No fancy craft supplies needed—just lots of love and appreciation for all the mothers out there!
1. Fill in the blanks.
Moms will get a kick out of seeing what kids really know about them! (“My mom is 96 years old…”) Grab the free printable here. Do you need an option for grandmas, aunts, and other caregivers? There’s a blank version too!
2. Put together a slide show.
Ask kids to write down their favorite thing about their mom, or draw a picture. They can send you a photo of it, or have them hold it up during your next Zoom meeting and take a screenshot. Then, assemble all of these together into a Google Slides show you can email to moms on the special day!
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3. Cut out a loving hands card.
Handprint crafts are always popular, and kids can use any kind of paper they have available for this one. Simply have them fold the paper in half and trace their hand with the first finger and thumb hanging off the fold. When they cut it out, they’ll have a cute card, ready to color and sign! Learn how it’s done at Crafting Ireland.
4. Hold a virtual Mother’s Day lunch.
Lots of moms are still working from home, so it might actually be easier to coordinate a virtual Mother’s Day lunch this year. Set aside time for kids and their moms to join together and eat their lunch on a Zoom call. You can read a book about moms out loud, have kids perform a song or two, and give mothers a chance to connect for a few minutes.
5. Publish a World’s Best Mom newspaper.
This free printable from Martha Stewart turns moms into the news of the day! This is a Mother’s Day activity that would be easy to expand on, too—ask older kids to write a longer article about something great their mom has done or achieved, or what makes her so special.
6. Make a Mother’s Day Flipgrid.
Flipgrid is a super awesome free app that allows kids to record short videos in response to questions you assign. Set up a grid for “Why I Love My Mom” or “My Funniest Mom Story,” have students submit videos, then share the grid with moms. (You could even invite them to respond to their kids with their own videos.)
7. Show moms their kids love them “this much.”
Here’s another easy handprint craft that kids can do from home with any kind of paper and a glue stick. Kids trace and cut out their handprints, then attach them with an accordion-folded strip for a unique card. Get the full DIY, including a video, from Sugar, Spice, and Glitter.
8. Teach them some Mother’s Day songs.
Whether it’s “M-O-M-M-Y” sung to the tune of Bingo, “We Love Mothers” to Frère Jacques, or a special mommy version of “You Are My Sunshine,” these songs are sure to make mothers tear up when kids belt them out. Find them all and more here.
9. Create and illustrate a brochure.
You can use the free printable template from Whimsy Workshop Teaching, or simply have kids fold a piece of printer paper into thirds and then get to work!
10. Compose a Mother’s Day poem.
This old classic is always a favorite with moms. Make things easier for kids (“I don’t know what to write!”) by using a structure like acrostic, limerick, haiku, or cinquain. Find more ideas here.
11. Write a book about mom.
Use the free printable templates from Hello Wonderful, or simply have kids write and draw their own pages. Binding them into a book is easy with glue or staples. This is a keepsake moms will treasure.
12. Record Mother’s Day video greetings.
If you’re meeting with your kids via video conference like Zoom, take a few minutes to record a video of each of them sending their mom a special Mother’s Day message. Then, email the sweet missives out to moms or share them on your school or classroom site.
Make Mother’s Day special by watching a family movie together, and doing a fun activity to go with it. Here are 25 of our favorites.
Plus, here are 22 scavenger hunts to keep kids busy and give moms a few minutes of peace!
