Mother's Day Gift Ideas
Today, we’re sharing lots of ideas you can try at home to make the perfect gift that any mom will love and kids will love doing. We have something for every age group!
Japanese Inspired Flowers
What You’ll Need:
Marker caps in assorted sizes
Toothpick (or something similarly sized like the end of a small paintbrush)
Colorful paper or cardstock (you can also use folded cardstock to turn this into a card)
Plate, tray or palette to pour paint
Instructions:
Dip marker caps and toothpicks into the black paint and stamp on your paper to create the petals.
Using a black permanent marker, draw in the stems to your flower in a fluid manner.
Fingerprint Garden
What you’ll need:
Paintbrush
Toothbrush
Empty spray bottle
Paper, cardstock or a canvas
Instructions:
Dip your finger in washable paint and use it to create a variety of flowers.
Using a paintbrush, paint in the stems of the flowers.
Fill an empty spray bottle with green washable paint and water. Spray paint over the top of your painting.
Try using a toothbrush to create additional splatters. Dip the toothbrush in the paint and hold the brush close to the paper. Comb your finger over the bristles sending the paint flying.
Folded Pop-Up Cards
What You’ll Need:
Scissors
Colored paper or collage paper cut into a square shape
Paper or cardstock (8.5” x 11”)
Instructions:
Take your square piece of paper and fold as indicated in below diagram. This will be the pop-up portion of your card.
Take your larger piece of paper or cardstock and fold in half to create your card.
Glue the pop up element to the inside of the card as indicated in the diagram.
Decorate the inside of your card using crayons and watercolors. Draw first with the crayons and paint watercolors on top (crayons will resist the watercolor paint). Allow inside of card to dry.
Decorate the outside of the card using crayons and watercolor paints.
Fingerprint Cards
What You’ll Need:
Stamp pad - we love these by Melissa & Doug because they are super washable. Don’t have a stamp pad? Just use a washable marker to color your child’s finger.
Drawing materials
Paper or cardstock
Instructions:
Fold your paper to create a card.
Dip your child’s finger into the stamp ink and press it onto the paper.
Turn the fingerprints into animals using drawing materials. Use our examples as inspiration or create your own.
Bubble Painting
What You’ll Need:
Straw
Liquid watercolor (Make sure it is non-toxic. You can also use food coloring but just know it isn’t as washable!)
Bubble soap (make sure it’s non-toxic)
Paper, watercolor paper or cardstock (we love this)
Small rimmed tray or bowl (we used a plastic food storage container). You’ll need one bowl per color
Instructions:
Pour bubble soap into your container. Add a few drops of liquid watercolor. Repeat this step for each color you wish to use. Test small pieces of paper to see if you like the color.
Take a straw and blow air into the bubbles to create suds. Play with creating different bubble shapes. *Tip: If you have younger children, consider doing this step for the children or make sure they aren’t sucking bubbles and paint through the straw! My 4 year old was able to do this but my 2.5 year old kept sucking it in!
Stamp your paper on top of the suds to create prints.
Have fun with the leftover bubble soap. You can paint with them (see painting with bubbles here). We mixed our pink and blue together and put purple bubbles in our outdoor bubble machine! This was fun but made a mess!
Baby Art
What You’ll Need:
Washable non-toxic paint or fingerpaint - we love Crayola brand
Tray (these are great trays but any kitchen tray will work)
Canvas, paper or cardstock (you can buy cards in 4.25” x 5.5” size or cut a 8.5” x 11” piece of paper into fourths)
Masking tape
Paper towels or a paint rag
Glossy Mod Podge (this is an optional step for adults to use only)
Instructions
Pour paint into tray. We love mixing our paint colors with a little bit of white to make pretty pastel colors. *Tip: babies will likely spread the paint across the tray to try and use colors that mix well together (e.g. green/blue, yellow/pink, red/blue, etc.) Choose from 3 different activities below:
Handprint crafts: Use your baby’s feet or hands to create flowers. If you have a baby who still curls his/her hands it can be difficult to get a good handprint. Try the baby’s feet instead!
Fingerpainted cards or canvas: If making cards, tape them down to a tray so that the tape creates a 1/8” - 1/4” border around each card. Let your baby fingerpaint all over the cards or canvas. If you have an older baby or a toddler that can hold things, give them fun things to paint with (cars, toys, kitchen tools, etc.).
Optional step for adults only: Add a layer of glossy Mod Podge on top of the paint after it is dry. It will create a glossy finished look that really takes your “baby art” to the next level. It also keeps thick globs of washable paint from cracking over time.
