Mother's Day Preschool Activities
Daycare Activities to Honor Mothers and Loved Ones
Celebrate Mother's Day with creative and fun activities for preschoolers.
Mother’s Day is the second Sunday in May. Celebrate Mother’s Day in your preschool, daycare center, or family daycare with imaginative crafts, songs, and stories about mothers and other special family members.
Depending on the circumstances in the child’s household, you can also change the theme to “loved one’s day”, so as not to exclude the special person in the child’s life.
Art and Cooking
Mother’s Day Cards
Mother’s Day cards are the most common Mother’s Day craft. Make colorful and creative cards using construction paper, paint, crayons, and any decorative items you fancy. You can also create and print out a Mother’s Day poem or take pictures of each child to insert it into the card.
Mother’s Day Tea
If time and schedules permit, hold a Mother’s Day (or loved one’s day) tea. Make or buy simple snacks like baked goods and iced tea, then let the children serve their loved one.
Mother’s Day Basket
Another simple and fun craft for preschool children is a Mother’s Day basket. For each child you will need:
- A printable Mother’s Day basket picture
- Several pictures of flowers pictures cut from gardening catalogs or magazines
- Glue and scissors
- 12 inches ribbon
- Crayons
First let the children color the mother’s day basket. Then allow each child to glue the desired amount of flowers on the basket. Cut the basket out and then use the ribbon to create a bow. You can then staple or glue the ribbon onto the basket.
Music and Movement
Modify classic songs with lyrics that honor mothers or loved ones. For example:
"A Mom's a Special Lady" [Original author unknown]
(Sung to the tune of "Itsy, Bitsy Spider")
A Mom's a special lady,
So hug her every day.
She gives you lots of food to eat,
And takes you out to play.
Your mother reads you stories
And buys you sneakers, too.
Aren't you happy that you have
A mom who loves you so?
Storytime
Mother's Day by Anne Rockwell and Lizzy Rockwell [HarperCollins, 2004] is an fun yet informative story that supports multiculturalism and diversity. Each child in Mrs. Madoff’s class shares how he or she will be preparing for Mother’s Day. As a bonus, there are instructions for making paper flowers from simple materials included.
Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman [Random House, 1960] A confused baby bird, hatched while his mother is away, begins to search for his mother, encountering and asking various animals on the way “Are you my mother?”. This adorable classic with a happy ending is sure to please preschool aged children.
A Ride on Mother's Back: A Day of Baby Carrying around the World by Emery Bernhard and Durga Bernhard [Gulliver Books, 1996] details how mothers from different cultures around the world carry their babies while doing chores. With its colorful artwork coupled with its child-friendly vantage point, this story is excellent for preschool through age 7.
For more information about preschool and daycare activities, see Online Preschool Lesson Plans.
