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16 Easy Mother's Day Crafts Kids Can Make To Make Mom Swoon

by Emily Westbrooks and Grace Gallagher
Updated: 
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As a former art teacher at a day camp, I appreciate anyone who's willing to help kiddos do a craft project, because that task is no joke (and fair warning, you will find glitter on yourself for days after). If you're looking for something cute to make for any special mom this mother’s day, here’s a list of easy Mother's Day crafts for kids that will warm mom's (and grandma’s) heart.

Whether you choose to make flower petal bath salts that mom will love to use as she enjoys a quiet, undisturbed soak, or a colorful pair of earrings that look like they're from her favorite boutique, there's a range of projects for every skill and mess level. You might need to order a few things from Etsy or a craft store depending on the project you choose, but you still have time to make at least one of these happen (even if you procrastinate until the day before). And don’t stress if the final product doesn't look as "photo-ready" as the examples you see on the blogs — remember that the mom in your life will appreciate almost any handmade gift from her kids. Fire up the glue gun (very. carefully.) because it’s time to get crafting.

1

Egg Carton Vase

These recycled egg carton vases by The House That Lars Built look like they belong in the gift shop of a modern art museum, but they couldn’t be easier to make. All you’ll need is a plant in the plastic pot it comes packaged in, plus hot glue, paint, scissors, and of course, paper egg cartons. If you don’t have a potted plant, you could easily make these vases using an old plastic container (like the cylindrical kind soup comes in) just make sure to put a hole in the bottom so the plant can drain. Depending on their age, your kiddos may need a little help cutting the cartons or using the hot glue, but it shouldn’t require too much help on your part. It’s fun for little ones to pick out paint colors their mom will love, just remember to save the painting for last, as it may crack if you do it first.

2

Decoupage Plates

You can never have too many plates to show off jewelry and other small trinkets, especially when they’re made by the kiddos you love. You’ll need to order some plain white trays or dishes, plus painter’s tape, Mod Podge, and glitter or cut paper. You can use the tape to make white space to create stripes or other designs, or you could have fun decorating the entire plate or dish (small bowls make great ring storage). Just make sure to leave time for these to dry before it’s time to wrap them.

3

A Relaxing Pillow Mist

If Mother’s Day snuck up on you, this pillow spray from A Beautiful Mess can be made in minutes, plus it’s a gift moms can use daily because everyone could stand to get better sleep. You’ll need a glass bottle (or you could upcycle any bottle you already have that has a spray top), distilled water which you can buy or make, plus some soothing essential oils like lavender or chamomile/ Your kiddos will feel like little scientists mixing up a potion, and mom will love how her pillow smells like lavender at the end of the day.

4

Multicolor Tassel Earring

Here's a great craft for kids who a little bit older. These tassel earrings from The Stripe are so light and cute, mom may not believe they’re homemade. You can easily find tassels on most online craft stores or Etsy. These look super complicated, but they actually don’t require much more than earring hooks and a needle and thread. I personally love the ombre pink colors, but you could use rainbow-colored tassels for moms who make a statement, or all neutrals from the monochrome mama.

5

Recycled Succulent Planters

For these chic succulent planters from Creative Green Living, you’ll need an empty can (finally a use for all those empty coffee canisters) plus glue, fabric, and small stones to place at the bottom (fish tank rocks or even pebbles from outside work in a pinch). This tutorial uses burlap and lace, but you could use any fabric you have on hand. Best of all, succulents are notoriously easy to care for, so if mom isn’t necessarily known for her green thumb, she’ll still enjoy this thoughtful gift.

6

Rose Petal Bath Salts

This gift is not only useful, it looks beautiful in a glass jar and would hardly even need wrapping paper! Paper & Stitch has a simple tutorial for rose petal bath salts that would be easily customizable to accommodate other types of flowers or scents as well.

7

Personalized Wood Plaques

These personalized wood plaques from Lovely Indeed are surprisingly easy to put together, considering how darn adorable they are. The key ingredient is spray adhesive, which you'll use to stick cute patterned paper to a pre-cut board and then decorate with letter stickers. Brainstorming funny sayings your mom will appreciate might be the most fun part!

8

DIY Mug Set

Not all moms run on coffee, but most moms need some kind of hot beverage to get them through the early mornings and the long afternoon slump. You can easily help your kids whip up a set of new mugs that are dishwasher safe and ready to sip. This tutorial from A Little Craft in Your Day makes it very simple with endless options for personalization using only a few supplies.

9

Glitter Decoupage Tray

Some kids just love a project with glitter — and so do some moms! This tutorial from Rosyscription makes it pretty simple (although probably not totally mess-free) to decoupage a tray with glitter, taking a dollar store acrylic organizing tray to another level.

10

Trinket Dishes

With a little Model Magic clay and some craft paint, your kiddos can create these adorable trinket dishes from Studio DIY for their well-deserving mom. It's sort of like going to that over-priced clay-painting place but you can do everything from the comfort of your kitchen table!

11

Hand Painted Bouquet Wrap

Even if you aren't reading this until Mother's Day morning and the mom in your life is sleeping in, this can be put together by the time she wakes up and you deliver her morning coffee in bed. Paint (or a marker) plus paper, with a little instruction from The Merrythought, easily transforms any bouquet, store bought or foraged, into the sweetest bouquet.

12

Decoupage Photo Display

Using a canvas and some patterned and colorful tissue papers cut into squares, kids of almost any age can make this colorful picture display from Mod Podge Rocks.

13

Finger Crochet Potholders

If your kid is the age when making friendship bracelets is all the rage, let them use their weaving skills to follow this easy finger crochet potholder tutorial from Paper & Stitch. The key to making them look a little fancier than the typical kid-DIY project is to use nicer yarn in a single color.

14

Flower Petal Soaps

In theory, I might even be able to manage this DIY project with my toddler. If I melted the soap base, she could easily drop in the essential oils and flower petals and I think we could survive without a mess. Use this tutorial from Hello Glow to make these elegant soap bars. Wrap them up individually in pretty paper and you're good to go.

15

Felt Flower Clips

Kids will get a kick out of painting on these felt flowers, and mom will probably have more uses for them than you realize! Older kids can even help glue the felt onto the paperclips, making this tutorial from Handmade Charlotte a great DIY for kids of all ages.

16

Stamped Coasters

Another super simple tutorial from Rosyscription, this one takes porcelain tiles and turns them into coasters using a single stamp. The result is much more store-bought than homemade-macaronic-necklace, and she'll remember the giver every time she uses them.

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