Let’s make a Mother’s Day gift from kids that moms will treasure forever! Mother’s Day is, typically, the day that everyone rushes to celebrate. Mom is special, invincible, the prettiest woman on the planet, and the sweetest woman that you know. This sentiment is shared by so many of us. I think that it may be most pronounced when we are little kids. I don’t know… Moms rock for eternity! Perhaps no matter your age, what you give your mom for a Mother’s Day gift is dear to your heart. That’s why I wanted to share my favorite Mother’s Day gift from kids with you!
Decisions. Decisions.
Every year, I find myself trying to decide what gift my students will make to give to their moms for a Mother’s Day gift from kids. Most often, I factor in my budget, our classroom resources, and the amount of time that I have to put it all together. I’m that teacher that doesn’t just send the gift home. I buy gift bags and tissue paper to make sure that mom feels extra special, and so that my students can feel extra special when they hand their mother the gift.
Just so you know, I look for bargains on gift bags (i.e. I buy them in sets from Target or the Dollar Tree.). I’m also not adverse to re-using gift bags that I have just sitting in storage waiting to be used again.
My Favorite Gifts From My Girls
As a mom, my most favorite Mother’s Day gift from kids that my girls brought home were items that were either hand-made or involved a picture of them. I still have artwork that they made in art class- paintings, ceramics, and drawings. I also still have Christmas ornaments that my oldest daughter made at school, too. Those gifts seem to just capture a special place in time and keep your little sweethearts at that age forever. Believe me, with my youngest daughter recently turning 18, having mementos from when she was little is really special.
Making Mom Feel Special
I want to share my most favorite Mother’s Day gift from kids, at least so far, gift idea with you. Two years ago, I made them with my students. Last year, I did not have the extra funds to create this special gift idea. So instead, we made an adorable and cost-effective craft and writing. The only real cost to me was the pages that I needed (including directions), printing the pages, construction paper (which I had), and glue. Here is a photo of that Mother’s Day gift.
Here is the link to this resource, just in case you are interested. You can find it in Emily Education’s store on Teachers Pay Teachers. There were a lot of pieces that I had to cut out and trace (to create templates). I’ll share a little video 1 from the InstaStory and video 2 that I shared from last year. Overall, this craft was an affordable Mother’s Day gift from kids and easy to make. It was really cute, too!
This is not an affiliate link. It’s an activity that we created together. I liked it and thought that you might, too (insert smiley emoji here)!
I looped up with my class (from 1st grade to 2nd grade) this year. With this being my last year with these remarkable students, I decided to pull this special Mother’s Day gift from kids out of my “Teacher files” just for them.
Making Mom Feel Special
Admittedly, this Mother’s Day gift from kids idea is time-consuming and requires a little investment. You will need to purchase one picture frame per student, foam paintbrushes (fairly inexpensive), and a variety of paints (different colors/multiples of those colors). Most likely, you may need to apply two coats of paint to get the level of coverage that you desire. In addition, if students want to add designs like stripes or polka dots, the gift will have to dry between paintings. Although time-consuming, they are really simple to create and plan for and bring so much (emotional) value to your students and their moms/caregivers/guardians.
Sidebar: That last sentence just hit me in the heart. Yes, there are some students that do not have a (traditional) “mom” to celebrate for Mother’s Day. Think of those students in advance. Most importantly, have a private conversation with them. Ask them if there is an aunt, grandmother, friend of the family, etc. that they would like to create a gift for. If not, consider allowing them to create a gift for their dad (if applicable) or as a sweet memory for themselves.
The gift that I am so excited to share with you is…
Picture Frames for Mom!
Student-designed picture frames! They come out so beautifully and each one is tailor-made for each mom.
I desperately wish that I had photos of the completed products to show you! Taking pictures is something that I am notorious for! ha ha
Sadly, The pictures that I would love to show you are on the iPhone that met its demise. Needless to say, it fell into the toilet one morning AND (it sickens me to add) it had not been backed up in months. Unfortunately, I don’t have any pictures of the amazing Mother’s Day gift from kids that my class made to share with you. I just remember bright colors, “interesting” designs, and the delightful smiles on my students’ faces as they painted their Mother’s Day masterpieces.
What You Will Need
- wooden picture frames (I buy mine from Michael’s. They are $1 each.)
- Acrylic paints in a multitude of colors (Wal-Mart has the most color options. The paint in the photo are 50 cents per bottle. Wal-Mart does sell larger bottles for some of the colors.)
- Paintbrushes (The sponge brushes are best suited for spreading the paint. Plus, their slanted/angled tips are great for “directing” the paint.)
- Space to allow the picture frames to dry
- An area for students to paint in WITH adult supervision.
- On open-mind- You may have the urge to stop their creative style in its tracks, but try not to. I had to remind myself that it was a gift from them to their mommies. What they were creating was coming directly from their hearts. Honestly, I did chime in about their color choices from time to time (“Are you sure that green is your mom’s favorite color?”), but other than that, I bit my tongue a lot. LOL
Don’t let me stop you! Run out to Michael’s and Wal-Mart to gather your supplies. Cover a table (or two) and let your sweeties begin their Mother’s Day gift from kids Paintapalooza!
I would love to see or hear about your finished products. Feel free to email me your finished photos. You can use the contact form above. Post your comments below!
If you are looking for more spectacular Mother’s Day gifts, feel free to browse my Pinterest board here!
I know that it may be a little early, but I wish you a beautiful Mother’s Day!
XOXO
Tania
Photo credits:
Photo by Gerrit Klein h
