Here are three DIY Mother’s Day gifts children can be a part of making for Mom, Grammy, or Nana. They all involve hands or footprints, because what Mom doesn’t love looking back at their kids’ tiny little handprints years down the road?
Family Handprint Canvas for Mom
Purchase a 10×20 canvas and make sure you have masking or painter’s tape. To prepare for the project, using masking tape, spell out FAMILY. To make the letters big enough, you may need to use multiple lines of masking tape for the width of a letter. Set out different colored paints on paper plates. You can use washable or acrylic paint. Have kids roll up their sleeves and come put colorful handprints all over the canvas. If you have multiple kids, they can each use a different color or swap; just be sure to have them wipe their hands in between colors.
Uniquely Decorated Vase for Nana
Head over to your local dollar store and buy a tall, wide flower vase. The only other item you’ll need for this DIY Mother’s Day gift, besides little hands, is enamel paint. Ask the kids to each pick out a color flower they want to make a handprint with. Brush the enamel paint onto their hand; remember it’s permanent, so have a wet cloth nearby. Help the child firmly push their hand onto the vase near the top. Prepare the child ahead of time by telling them you will help roll their hand gently from side to side so all the angles of their fingers get onto the vase (this is especially necessary for round vases). Encourage the children to draw a green stem and grass; they could even add a butterfly. Save a spot to write, “Love Grows Here.”
Let the vase dry for two hours and then bake it at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. It’s important that you put the vase in the oven before it begins preheating. After 30 minutes, turn the oven off, crack open the door (if you can be sure the kids are safely in another room), and leave the vase in to cool down completely. Take it out 60-90 minutes later when it’s cool. You don’t want any drastic changes in temperature because that may cause the glass to crack. A day or two before Mother’s Day, ask the kids to help you pick out flowers for the vase that Nana will love.
Outdoor Planting Pot for Grandma
Stop by your local hardware store to get a terra-cotta, clay flower pot, soil, and flower seedlings. You will also need acrylic paint so the paint lasts when the pot is placed outside. Lay out a tarp or newspaper to protect the floor you’ll be working on. If it’s nice out, go outside to make this DIY Mother’s Day gift. Paint your children’s feet and help them transfer their footprints onto the side of the flower pot. Leave enough space between the two feet to draw the body of a butterfly; reference the picture to the right. If you have two or more kids, use both sides of the pot. With a permanent marker, date it and write “Little Love Bugs.” When it’s all dry, ask the kids to help fill it with soil. Add in the flowers and water it! If you have enough time to start this project 2-3 weeks before seeing Grandma, you can have the kids plant flower seeds instead of transferring in already sprouted flowers.
I hope the moms and grandmothers in your life enjoy their DIY Mother’s Day gifts and that the kids had fun making them! Don’t forget to include a homemade card from the kids. For more DIY gift ideas, children can make click here.
