Mother's Day Gifts Young Children Can Make

If you have small children in the house and are looking for a way they can actively participate in Mother's Day activities this year, the following five suggestions offer some great ideas.

One: Even fairly small children are able to string beads onto a string or yarn (making sure the bead hole is large enough if using the latter). This suggestion is not intended for children who are small enough to put the beads in their mouths because that brings with it a choking hazard, so discern wisely whether or not your child is age-appropriate for this activity. You can purchase from a wide variety of beads including those with prints, a vast selection of colors, pictures on them such as animals, or letters so the child can spell out something related to the day on the jewelry. You can tie the knot for the child when they have completed their piece. This item is sure to be a hit for mother's and the kids just love doing it.

Two: Small children can make a nice little bouquet of flowers for mom from wild flowers growing in the yard or at a local park or from flowers in a home flower garden, with approval and supervision from a parent of course. If mom does not have allergies of any type, this is an easy gift for the child to create that is sure to be well received.

Three: You can have a child help you make one of the meals of the day, or a snack, especially for mom. Some great suggestions that are easy for little hands to navigate are ham and cheese sandwiches, peanut butter on crackers, maybe helping to flip pancakes, cutting shapes of sandwiches using a cookie cutter, decorating the top of a cake with frosting, helping to make homemade cookies by stirring, placing dollops on a spoon, or the ever-important job of taste-testing, or even putting whipped cream or a cherry on top of a sundae. There are many ways a child can help create a meal or snack and still be out of harm's way and they will enjoy being a part of a task that is specially designated for Mom.

Four: Have your child create an art master piece. Put down a plastic table cloth on the table, outside on a picnic table, or on the floor. Put down a large piece of paper or poster board, some poster or finger paint, washable markers, glue and glitter, crayons or even an ink pen and let them have at it. You will be amazed at how creative they will become with a large, blank canvas set before them and the work they complete is sure to be more than sufficient for Mom who will undoubtedly love whatever they do.

Five: You can create a home video for mom with your child or children as the main stars. Have them sing her a song, do a Mom cheer, tell her a story, or read aloud their favorite book, on video. Take about five minutes to pre-plan what the child would like to do, that way they go into the project with a sense of what they would like to accomplish and won't spend time on video trying to come up with a good idea. The best tip for this suggestion is to keep the concept simple so they can remember it in its entirety. You can have older children contribute as well. This activity is a great one for children of all ages, including the teeniest ones in the house.

Letting the little ones get involved with creating their own presents for mom is a very special thing to do both for the child and for Mom. It may seem like they are too little to help with much, but with a little ingenuity and creativity you are bound to think of many ways they can actively become a part of this special day.