When it comes to Mother's Day gifts I know the ones I cherish the most are the sentimental gifts from the kids, rather than store bought items. I love a good hand written letter, homemade card or Mother's Day questionnaire and have a soft spot for pasta necklaces {even when they don't fit}.
Mother's Day doesn't have to mean a mad dash to the shops with Dad, or spending heaps on gifts at the Mother's Day stall at school, there are so many practical DIY gifts kids can make themselves for Mum {or Grandma} at home. I've put together 25 easy Mother's Day gifts kids can make for mum, there's something for everyone whether she's into jewellery, flowers, gardening or candles. Lots of these gift ideas are also suitable to do at school or daycare as a whole class activity.
HANDMADE JEWELLERY
Instead of heading to the jewellers and spending heaps of money for a Mother's Day gift, make mum a one of a kind piece for a fraction of the cost. In fact if you have a healthy recycling and craft stash some of these ideas will cost you nothing at all. You don't need fancy beads and crystals to make cute necklaces, and they don't need to be as basic as a pasta necklace {although I do have a soft spot for those}, just raid the craft cupboard and recycling stash and make one of these creative ideas.
Can you tell what these gorgeous disc necklaces are made from? My daughter couldn't work it out, but I'll let you in on a secret, they're made from PVA glue and paint! Yes, really. Go visit The Craft Train to find out how to make your own.
These salt dough and bead necklaces are really fun to make and decorate. You'll need a cookie cutter, some pony beads, ribbon and acrylic paint. Follow the instructions at Natural Beach Living to make your own.
These cute upcycled necklaces were made using yarn, random beads and the cardboard cores from washi tape rolls! Who would have thought raiding the recycling and random craft stash could create such a fantastic, eclectic Mother's Day gift! Read how Oh Creative Day and her kids created their necklaces here.
Another fun way to use the recycling as gifts are these cute upcycled bottle top necklaces. Next time you finish a bottle of milk or softdrink, hold onto the lids to make some gorgeous necklaces. Follow the instructions at Projects With Kids to make your own.
HANDMADE JEWELLERY DISHES & BOWLS
If you don't want to make handmade jewellery, but mum or grandma do love wearing jewellery and have special rings or trinkets they love to display, then a handmade jewellery dish or bowl would be the perfect gift. They're actually really easy to make using clay, plant saucers and even fabric scraps! Plus they can be personalised by using their favourite colours.
A handprint jewellery dish is both a practical gift and a great keepsake to show how small your child's hand was. This one is made out of coloured polyform clay and is surprisingly easy to make. Follow the step by step instructions at Rhythms of Play to create your own.
Another cute keepsake idea is this footprint butterfly jewellery dish. This one was made using a rainbow ink pad and paint on white air drying clay. Follow the instructions at Messy Little Monster to make your own.
This sunflower clay bowl is a cute way to display jewellery and would make a great table centrepiece. This bowl takes a bit more manipulating than the other clay bowls so is best suited for older kids to make, or can be made by younger kids with some adult assistance. Follow the instructions at Red Ted Art.
These terracotta jewellery dishes are probably the easiest to make as they're decorated terracotta plant saucers. All you'll need is some acrylic paint or paint pens and some decorative scrap-booking paper. Follow the instructions at Projects with Kids.
Another cute way to display jewellery and other valued items is in a handmade fabric bowl. This bowl is a great way to recycle fabric scraps or old clothes to create a truly unique gift. They're also super sturdy despite being made from fabric and mod podge. Follow the instructions at Mosswood Connections to make your own.
PAPER FLOWER BOUQUETS
If Mum {or Grandma} love getting flowers then they'll love some of these paper flower bouquets. These ones are not only made with love by their special little people, they'll also never wilt!
These cute paper heart flowers are so easy to make with some straws and pretty paper. They'd be a great daycare or classroom activity to create take home Mother's Day gifts too. Follow the instructions at Fireflies and Mudpies to make your own {tip: use a heart craft punch if prepping this for a large class}.
You can also use pretty paper and straws to make these 3D paper flower bouquets. These would be great to put on the front of a Mother's Day card or to make into a wall art display. Download the free template and follow the instructions at Hello, Wonderful.
Heart paper flowers can also be made with pipecleaners, paper and beads. Follow the instructions at The Joy Sharing.
These paper bluebonnets and lilies are really easy to make with construction paper and cardstock. Make the flowers in different colours to create a beautiful, bright bouquet. Follow the instructions at Anns Entitled Life to make your own.
These cute origami popsicle paper flowers are great for school aged kids to make. Download the free template and follow the instructions at Mombrite. Make a single flower or a whole bunch.
This recycled floral bouquet is made from egg cartons and a cardboard box. The kids and I made a bouquet of flowers for my mum featuring a white peace lily, yellow sunflower, pink poppy and purple tulip. Follow the instructions to make egg carton flowers here.
DECORATED POTS
If mum loves growing her own flowers, or has a herb garden then she'll love adding some of these decorated pots to her collection. Brighten up the garden or windowsill with a fun personalised pot.
These melted crayon pots are a super fun process art activity and gift rolled into one. The kids will love being able to decorate the pots however they like and there's a super simple hack to make this activity safer for young kids. Head over to Twitchetts to find out how they made theirs.
Another fun way to decorate teracotta pots is with paint and stencils. You can use letter stencils like Mama Smiles, or any stencils you like.
The kids will have so much fun decorating pour painted pots, make sure you do it outside though because it can get messy! These pots are so easy to decorate even toddlers can make them. Follow the instructions at Messy Little Monster.
DECORATED MUGS
If mum is anything like me and need copious amounts of caffeine to get through the day then she'll appreciate a decorated mug for her favourite cuppa. Regardless of whether she loves tea or coffee, a sentimental teacup will quickly become a favourite mug for her morning brew.
These nail polish marbled mugs are so pretty they look like they're store bought. You can actually make them at home in just a few minutes with some nail polish and water. Follow the instructions at Strength & Sunshine.
It's easy to create beautiful personalised mugs using Sharpies. The trick is to make sure you use Sharpie oil based paint markers to make sure the design doesn't wash off over time. Follow the instructions at The Faithful Help Meet.
CANDLE HOLDERS
If mum loves candles then she'll love a sentimental candle holder. It's easy to personalise glass candle holders or any glass jars using the correct paint. Always be careful when using glass around young children, adult supervision is required.
Make mum some personalised glass candle holders by decorating votive candle holders. Choose a personal message and use glass paints to decorate the glass holders. Follow the instructions at Rhythyms of Play.
Make a thumbprint candle holder using a mason jar and some acrylic paint. Follow the instructions at The Craft at Home Family to make your own. Tip: use a battery operated tealight candle to make it safer getting the candle in and out of the jar.
DECORATED PHOTO FRAMES
Decorated photo frames are a fun and easy way for kids to get creative and design a unique Mother's Day present. Use cardboard, or decorate over the top of cheap wooden photo frames. Add a family photo or special artwork to make the photo frame an even more cherished keepsake.
The kids will have so much fun decorating cardboard photo frames and drawing or painting the perfect picture to display in them. These photo frames are easy to make with a few simple craft supplies and a cardboard box from the recycling. See how Happy Toddler Playtime made theirs here.
Create a cute mom rocks frame using a cheap photo frame, some river rocks and the free printable from Non Toy Gifts. This printable only comes in the American spelling of Mom.
These newspaper coil frames are a great idea to reuse items from the recycling pile. It's best suited for older kids to make as they'll need to be able to cut, roll and glue the newspaper. Follow the step by step instructions at Red Ted Art.
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