Classroom activities for celebrating Mother’s Day

easy and inexpensive ideas to make for mum for Mother's Day

With Mother’s Day just a little over a week away, teachers are looking for classroom activities that are easy to implement but foster learning while making something special for the children’s mums to treasure. readilearn Mother’s Day suggestions help you do just that.

Benefits of written gifts

Writing letters, cards and books for mothers is one of the best ways of fulfilling all these requirements.

Written gifts:

  • are easily slotted into the class writing program.
  • provide opportunities for teaching and learning writing skills.
  • encourage creativity.
  • are gifts from the heart.
  • are unique and personalised for each mother or carer.
  • become treasures that never wear out and are easy to keep.
  • require little to no additional purchases or expenditure on the part of the teacher.

Start with discussion

The best preparation for writing is discussion.

Discussion provides children with an opportunity to:

  • share ideas,
  • be inspired by others’ ideas,
  • decide what they wish to write and how they might express it,
  • consider alternative recipients for their writing.

Read books for inspiration

Many beautiful picture books celebrate mothers.

Reading aloud to children helps to:

  • foster a love of books and language,
  • develop language and vocabulary,
  • stimulate ideas,
  • inspire creativity.

A few of my favourite picture books about mothers are:

Koala Lou by Mem Fox

Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

I Love You with All My Heart by Noris Kern

Just Like That by Mem Fox (also available as Harriet, You’d Drive Me Wild)

Where’s Mum? by Libby Gleeson and Craig Smith

Getting Home by J.R. Poulter and Muza Ulasowski

Are You My Mother? By P.D. Eastman

Of course, there are many others too. What is your favourite?

Ideas for writing

Discuss what a mother is and write a collaborative verse; for example:

Write the phrase, “A mother is someone who” on the board and ask children to complete the statement. Write their suggestions. Collect as many ideas as you can. Children will share a variety of special, mundane, humorous, complimentary, and perhaps not so complimentary, statements about their Mums.

Compile the suggestions into a verse. Print and distribute the verse for children to illustrate with pictures of their mums (ensure they sign their illustrations in the bottom right-hand corner).

For example:

a poem about mothers for mother's day

When laminated or rolled into a scroll, these make a lovely Mother’s Day gift.

Write “I love” poems

a lovely poem to write for special loved ones

Discuss and list things children love to do with their Mums. Children write their own list poem of things they like to do with their Mums; for example:

I love cooking with my Mum.

I love it when my Mum reads me stories.

I love watching television with my Mum.

I love playing games with my Mum.

Refer to the free resource Write your own “I love” poem for other ideas and a printable card template.

 

Write individual books about “My Mum”

how to make a heart-shaped book for mum

The collaborative verse is a great way to get children thinking about all the special things their mums do for them. It is only a small step from here for children to make their own individual books composed of statements about their mothers. This time children write a series of statements beginning with “My Mum”. They may write things such as:

My mum tucks me into bed at night.

My mum reads me stories.

My mum makes me feel better when I am sick.

My mum goes to work

My mum likes to watch TV.

If children write their statements into their writing books first, they can be edited and proofread before publishing in a book. With each statement written on its own page and illustrated, these books make a lovely gift. Presenting them in a heart shape makes them a little more special. (Refer to the resource My Mum – heart-shaped book template.)

 

Write a letter to Mum

Write a letter to tell Mum why she is special. This activity provides a purpose for teaching the format of a basic letter and, at the same time, creates a special gift.

Children discuss then write something special they would like to tell their Mum.

The Little Koala – Invitation notepaper in colour makes lovely writing paper for children’s letters.

 

Add a little craft

Draw or paint a self-portrait, or portrait of self with mother

Provide children with a selection of papers and drawing and painting media to make a self-portrait for their Mum. Alternatively, they may wish to make a portrait of their Mum or of themselves with their Mums. This activity works well if they have already had opportunities to work with different media; for example:

  • pastels
  • crayons
  • pencils
  • felt pens
  • gel pens
  • chalk
  • charcoal
  • watercolour paints
  • acrylic paints
  • powder paints

Provide a selection of collage materials from which children may choose to enhance their portraits if desired.

The finished portraits could be framed with strips of coloured paper and mounted on a stiff cardboard backing, or laminated for durability.

Make a special waterlily Mother’s Day card

waterlilies are a different type of card to give and fun to make

Waterlily cards are a special gift. Flowers are cut from circles of paper. A message is written inside the flower. The flower is folded and given to Mum on Mother’s Day. When she places the flower in water, it magically opens, revealing the message. (Refer to the resource Waterlily card for step by step instructions.)

 

Make a photo frame card

a cute way to present a photo for mum for Mother's Day

Print a photograph of each child. Children add the photos to a frame and give it to their mothers for Mother’s Day – a special gift. (Refer to the resource Photo Frame Cards for templates and suggestions.)

Secret message chatterbox is a fun activity to engage children in reading to follow instructions. When made

A Secret Message Chatterbox is also fun for sharing special messages with mothers or other loved ones.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *