Mother's Day Gift Ideas for Young Children
Creating a Present for a Special Person with Preschoolers
Apr 28, 2009
A heartfelt, hand made gift is a fantastic way to show a child's love for his or her mother. In preparation for this Mother's Day, try to help the young children in your class express their love in a creative way. Additionally, these fun crafts and projects will help the preschool aged child develop fine motor skills, build aesthetic awareness, and learn about the artistic process.
Simple Process Art Projects as Mother's Day Gifts
This group of ideas all focus on basic art processes. Although simple, they can be of great developmental benefit and make excellent gifts.
- Free Paint: All that you will need are some tempera paints, construction paper, and paint brushes.
- Clay Sculptures: Give the children in your class some soft modeling clay and watch as they construct special creations!
- Basic Collage: Collage means to glue or to paste. Give the children some paper, glue, and scissors to explore this fun process.
- Drawing: Try a variety of implements such as colored pencils, markers, and crayons.
More Advanced Mother's Day Art Activities
These activities are still simple, yet contain more specific project oriented objectives. Try to alter the project based on the ages of the children in your classroom.
- Tissue Paper Flowers: Have the children bend a green pipe cleaner around folder tissue paper. Make several for a special bouquet.
- Stained Glass Vase: Paint a layer of clear drying glue onto a cleaned glass jar. Have the children add tissue paper and more glue.
- Mom Collage: Take pictures of each child. Allow the children to use those pictures to make a collage. Ask the children to find and add in photographs or drawings from child friendly magazines that remind them of mom.
- Decorated Hand Prints: Using tempera paint, cover each child's hand with one color. Have the child place his or her hand down on a piece of construction paper to make a hand print. After it is dry, cut the paper into a heart shape. Ask the child to write a few words such as "I love you" or "Mom" on the hand print heart.
Mother's Day Art Activities and Other Curricular Areas
Sometimes are can bridge many different content areas. The following Mother's Day project activities involve an art aspect as well as an additional objective.
- Mother's Day Flowers: Start a sunflower or pumpkin plant in a recycled milk container. Before placing the soil into the container allow the children to paint the outside. As an added touch embellish with glue and glitter.
- Mother's Day Book: Develop pre-literacy skills while learning about book making. Have each child create a small three page book about mom. Use construction paper bound together with pipe cleaners, yarn, or ribbons.
- Family Tree: Create a family tree by first painting a tree on a piece of white construction paper. Add in different family members on the branches.
Creating special gifts for mom in the preschool classroom can be a fun and rewarding experience. Encourage the young children in your class to get creative. Not only will the children end up with a beautiful treat for mom, but these activities can also create a sense of pride in accomplishment.
