DIY Mother's Day Gifts: Ideas for the Whole Family

The kids want to make something for Mom for Mother’s Day. They want it to be a surprise, which means simplicity and ease are two essential requirements.

Dad may not want to deal with the mess of finger paint or glitter, but there are plenty of Pinterest-inspired ideas that are fun for kids, and Dad won’t even have to figure out the glue gun! Check out these DIY projects:

Make Paper Flowers

Paper projects mean minimal mess. Follow The Craft Patch's tutorial for a variety of templates; peonies, daisies, roses, and poppies are all here. Tissue paper is delicate which means kids must be careful not to tear. If a hardier craft is necessary for tiny fingers, try this brown paper variation instead. South by North uses wooden dowels and tape instead of pipe cleaners in this version. Make a bouquet and tie with jute.

Paint Mason Jars

Grab a few glass jars. You can find Mason jars at craft and hobby stores, big-box retailers like Target or from your local thrift store. You can also recycle a jar from pickles or spaghetti sauce.

Help the kids decide how they want to decorate. Some ideas include:

Chalkboard-Style — Dad can help spray the chalkboard paint and kiddos can draw or write Mom a message with a chalk pen after the jar is dry.

Translucent — Use Mod Podge and food coloring to coat the inside of the jars. Turn them upside down to dry.

Distressed Vintage — Paint the outside of the jars with acrylic paint and then use a nail file to rough up the edges to create an antique look.

Cast a Thumbprint Necklace

Kids can make thumbprint necklace beads featuring their fingerprints.

Alpha Mom shares a colorful how-to with polymer clay and a few kitchen gadgets (cutting board, rolling pin, butter knife). Roll pea-sized balls of clay and flatten with thumbs. Use a toothpick to poke a hole through and then bake on a cookie sheet.

If you’re a family with multiple kids, include all the kids’ beads on a collective strand and gift as a single necklace.

If you want a more classic look, take a small ball of white polymer clay and make a pendant. The Crafty Crow shows an easy-to-follow tutorial.

Dad can join in the jewelry giving with a gift from the FTD jewelry boutique the Tri-color Key Pendant. Mom will love both!

Decorate Terracotta Pots

Pick up a terracotta pot from your local garden center. Kids can use acrylic paint and brushes, sponges or stencils to decorate the pot. Or find fun scrapbook paper or tissue paper and decoupage using Mod Podge.

Personalize it with a fun gift tag, like these from Paper & Stitch.

As a tandem gift, Dad can give Mom something from the Garden Shop. We love the lemon tree, for example, but any one of our Spring plants collection makes for a cute addition to a backyard porch.