35 Mother’s Day Crafts for Kids That She’ll Actually Want to Keep

According to the crafting pro responsible for this oh-so-pretty paper handprint project, it’s easy enough for a 5-year-old to accomplish without any help at all, so presumably little kids can get in on the tracing, cutting and folding, too. Best of all, the end result is a beautiful bouquet of lilies that will make any mom feel special.

Turns out your toddler can turn their favorite snack into a veritable work of art with nothing more than Elmer’s glue, washable paint and a piece of cardstock. OK the really young ones might need a little assistance if you’re invested in the finished product, but a preschooler can easily pull this seasonally appropriate project off and the resulting design makes for a lovely Mother’s Day card.

Your kid’s artwork is so charming but when all those 8 by 11 pieces of paper take over your fridge (and maybe every other corner of your home), it’s time to consider a different kind of keepsake. Enter the doodle magnet. The process here will need to be executed by an adult but kids of all ages can handle the drawing part and the finished magnets are sure to melt the heart of any mom.

Even the youngest kids can make a colorful pop art masterpiece using this nifty technique, which relies on artist tape and a free printable template—you know, to ensure the paint colors don’t all blend together to make a not so aesthetically pleasing shade of brown.

Scissor skills are required to pull off this adorable Mother’s Day card, but kids will have a lot of fun practicing and working with the various craft materials (construction paper, googly eyes and glue). Our suggestion? Trace their hand at least twice so they can practice those fine motor skills while you cut out one visually appealing handprint for the finished product.

This cute and sentimental card idea, inspired by the namesake book, is exceedingly easy to accomplish and really hard to mess up. Just set your kid up with a poster board, acrylic paint and some gold star stickers and watch as they create a visual representation of their immense love that’s sure to make mom misty-eyed.

If you like the magnet idea but feel like the process is a little too involved, try this one on for size. Score a plain white mug and some ceramic paint markers and your little Picasso can do the rest.

These cupcake wrapper flowers are so easy to make even a toddler can do it and the project is completely mess-free. Bonus points if you supply your child with cupcake wrappers that feature different colors and patterns so they can practice the art of flower arrangement as they craft the bouquet.

This charming craft comes together with recycled materials—a tin can and egg carton, specifically—and just a few basic art supplies. Oh, and it also calls for glue dots, which means even the littlest kids can handle the assembly without assistance and, most importantly, without making a sticky mess.

Elmer’s glue (or any kid-friendly white glue), yarn and an upcycled glass jar are the only materials you need for this easy craft, which involves adhering bands of yarn to said jar in order to create a rainbow-colored vase for a Mother’s Day bouquet.

Trace, cut, glue, repeat. The littles can do all the gluing and slightly older kids can practice their scissor skills, too. Either way, the finished craft is a very sentimental ode to motherhood—particularly if you choose a photo that really tugs on the heartstrings.

Fine motor skills get a major boost from this simple and budget-friendly craft, which introduces kids to sewing and requires only a few basic materials. There’s a free printable to help your kid get the tulip just right and the project yields a woven card that’s sure to inspire pride in both mother and child.

Flower bouquets are decidedly better in 3D…and when wilting isn’t a factor, you’re really winning on all fronts. Best of all, your child will have an opportunity to hone their concentration and fine motor abilities while crafting a gift with a whole lot of heart(s). Just keep in mind that a low temperature glue gun is involved, so adult supervision is recommended.

Pour painting is our new favorite technique—namely because it’s totally kid-friendly and reliably turns out looking cool. Apply it to an old garden pot and score some beads for your kid to string and you’ve got a homemade gift that will brighten up the front porch or garden all year long.

You’ll need some special materials for this one—a flower vase, foam sheets, felt and pebbles, for example—but once you’ve procured the goods, the project is actually a cinch for grade school kids to pull off with only a little help from an adult. Plus, a key step allows children to practice their handwriting skills while penning tender messages of gratitude that will surely make mom melt.

Yet another process art project that leaves plenty of room for creativity—this one involves painting styrofoam plates with bright colors, applying a coat of Mod Podge and cutting the plates up to make mosaic tiles, which are then glued down to a cereal box and cardboard base. The result is a cheery work of art that’s just begging for a family photo.

We’ve said it once and we’ll say it again: paint pouring is the bee’s knees. This time, the foolproof technique is applied to a blank canvas and, with some help from a marbling agent, you can expect a work of elementary school art that mom will genuinely want to hang on the wall.

Mom wants a trinket dish and this colorful DIY beaut fits the bill. Best of all, the magical process requires nothing more than perler beads, cooking spray and an oven-safe bowl. Three cheers for a no-mess activity that inspires pride and yields an impressive gift, to boot.

This project is excellent for elementary school kids of all ages (and older ones, too) because there’s really no wrong way to paint the candle holder—provided you have the fine motor skills necessary to do some basic line work or color blending, at least. Indeed, the mom-heart design is just one of many options and more abstract works of art are welcome, too, so your kid’s creativity can really burn bright.

Toddlers and preschoolers can totally get in on this flower pot painting craft, too, but we filed it under the slightly older category only because certain aspects of the painting process (i.e., painting the rim and base) require some very moderate degree of precision. In other words, this one is perfect for families with more than one child, since everyone can tackle a step. Bonus points if you complete the gift by filling the finished pot with a lovely new houseplant—preferably the easy to care for kind.

Here, a simple cut and paste craft that leaves plenty of room for creativity and puts the apple of mom’s eye front and center. (Psst: If you want to go the extra mile, the magnet step is easy and totally worth it.)

You know how every puzzle your kid owns is incomplete? Well, you can put some of those sad jigsaw pieces to good use with this easy DIY, which yields a Pinterest-worthy picture frame after just a little bit of painting and pasting.

This hands-on origami project has both brain-boosting and meditative benefits for restless kids. It also produces an adorable Mother’s Day card that any child will be proud to have crafted.

Transform a tin can into a cute ladybug planter with a few basic craft supplies and a hand from your kid (literally). The crafting process is easy enough for kids to participate at every step, except perhaps the hot glue gun part, and the finished product will brighten mom’s day.

Wire cutters and a hot glue gun are required for this flower craft, so only older kids can accomplish it independently and supervision is recommended. That said, the process is pretty straightforward and the resulting bouquet is a sweet and pretty way to say ‘I love you.’

With some Sculpey clay and a pair of scissors, older kids can easily make these charming bracelets. Best of all, the process of molding the clay and swirling the colors is an excellent hands-on activity for bored tweens and the result is a work of wearable art that will win mom’s heart.

Here, another jewelry-making craft that yields a great gift for mom. Best of all, the jewelry is highly customizable so kids can really get creative while picking out the perfect beads and stringing them together in a way that suits mom’s personal style.

Your tween or teen will need a wooden letter, beads, paint and a few specialty items (think key ring, tassels, and leather cording), so a trip to the craft store is probably in order here. There’s also a step involving a drill that an adult might need to assist with. That said, the crafting process is thoroughly engaging and older kids will be exceedingly proud to have completed a DIY project that yields a Pinterest-worthy keychain.

This beautiful trinket dish is a sophisticated homemade gift that will make mom swoon, and it’s surprisingly easy to accomplish with nothing more than air-dry clay, acrylic paint, Mod Podge and, of course, pressed flowers, which can be made at home or purchased already pressed.

These duct tape roses are realistic enough to fool a florist from a distance, and they won’t wilt (or break the bank) like a real bouquet. That said, they are a little difficult to make and require the use of a craft knife, so this project is best tackled by an older teen.

This highly customizable wood plaque is an excellent DIY for teens who want to get creative with paint and design. And if you attach three baby photos to it before it’s presented to mom, the gift is guaranteed to make her misty-eyed.

Another pressed flower craft that produces a functional and oh-so pretty Mother’s Day gift—this personalized tray is easy enough for tweens to make without assistance and requires only a few basic materials (i.e., pressed flowers, Mod Podge, sharpie and a plain wooden tray).

Here, a plain white apron makes a wonderful canvas for older kids and the design possibilities are endless. Although this craft calls for special equipment—heat transfer vinyl and a silhouette cutting machine—we think it can easily be adapted for a less complicated craft by using either iron on patches or stencils and fabric paint instead.

There’s nothing complicated about this eye-pleasing homemade gift—simply fill a heart mold with glycerine, pop it in the microwave, add confetti and stand back to admire a collection of handmade soaps that look like they could be sold in stores. Just keep in mind that the melted glycerine will be *very* hot and take note that the resulting soap is only decorative and not intended for use.

An upcycled soup can, a handful of craft sticks and some paints are all that’s needed to make this bright and cheery flower pot. The process is so easy that much younger kids can complete the craft, but we filed it here because kids who are old enough to use a hot glue gun can pull it off from start to finish without any assistance at all.