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

According to the crafting pro at One Little Project this oh-so-pretty paper handprint project is easy enough for a 5-year-old to accomplish without any help at all, so presumably even younger 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 off this seasonally appropriate project from I Heart Arts n Crafts, 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 from Craft Me Happy. 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 from Arty Crafty Kids, 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 from The Best Ideas for Kids, 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 from I Heart Crafty Things, 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, Meaningful Mama has a simpler craft for you. Score a plain white mug and some ceramic paint markers and your little Picasso can do the rest.

These cupcake wrapper flowers from Kid Friendly Things to Do 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 from The Best Ideas for Kids 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.

The best part of a toilet paper roll craft? I always have some empty tubes hanging around in the recycling bin making this an exceptionally easy craft to pull off. This one from The Best Ideas for Kids is a sweet and simple project that even a preschooler can do with little or no help using glitter, glue stick, paint and cardstock.

Just look at how sweet those little handprint blooms are! Little kids will enjoy covering their restless hands in (washable) paint, and the slightly older ones can practice their scissor skills with this easy cut-paint-paste craft from A Little Pinch of Perfect.

Little kids can develop their pincer grip and flex their creative muscles, too, with this cute and incredibly simple craft from Sugar Spice and Glitter. In fact, it’s so easy that even a toddler can do it, and preschoolers can totally get by on their own. I encourage a variety of textures and colors when it comes to the pipe cleaners you choose, as this will enhance the sensory fun.

Your little love bug can pull off this adorable craft with little more than some glue, yarn, googly eyes and a pom-pom. It’s worth noting that this tutorial from Sugar Spice and Glitter outlines a couple methods for bringing this craft to fruition, including a super easy process that relies on a pom–pom maker and a more ambitious handmade method involving a fork. For what it’s worth, I cast my vote for the former—just let the pom-pom maker do its thing and let your pre-K kid bring it to life with a face full of expression (you know, à la Mr. Potato Head).

If you haven’t heard of him, James Goldcrown is an internationally celebrated artist with a real fondness for, well, hearts. This project from Emma Owl is an homage to his work that even a preschooler can accomplish with little to no assistance, using nothing more than recycled material (i.e., toilet paper tubes), acrylic paint and a sheet of paper.

A fine prelude to the more sophisticated and intricate apron craft you’ll encounter later on—this idea, courtesy of Emma Owl, is a great way to let your very little one get their feet wet (so to speak). Any toddler or preschooler will have a blast dipping their tootsies in paint and treading on a blank, wearable canvas. My advice? Take advantage of the beautiful spring weather and do this one outside so the spring showers can wash away any drips and spills.

Fine motor skills get a major boost from this simple and budget-friendly craft from Arty Crafty Kids, 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.

Kids Craft Room has convinced me that 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 my new favorite technique—namely because it’s totally kid-friendly and reliably turns out looking cool. Follow this tutorial from Sugar Spice and Glitter and apply it to an old garden pot. Then, 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 from Busy Creating Memories—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, courtesy of Pink Stripey Socks, 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.

I’ve said it once and we’ll say it again: paint pouring is the bee’s knees. This time, the foolproof technique from I Heart Crafty Things 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, courtesy of Meaningful Mama, 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 from Rhythms of Play 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 idea from Crafts by Amanda 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.

Mom Endeavors has 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 from One Little Project, which yields a Pinterest-worthy picture frame after just a little bit of painting and pasting.

This hands-on origami project from Pink Stripey Socks 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, courtesy of I Heart Arts n Crafts, 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.

Celebrate spring showers with this sweet craft from Sugar Spice and Glitter—a mixed media project that uses yarn, cotton balls, glitter and foam to provide a dazzling sensory experience and put fine motor skills to the test. It’s also a highly customizable work of art, so there’s plenty of freedom in the creativity department, too. (Bonus points if you turn it into a science lesson and teach your grade schooler about the different types of clouds.)

I love a good two-part craft and these painted hearts from Emma Owl fit the bill. You can make them with air dry clay or salt dough, depending on your preference—but the fun happens with the drip painting technique, which is blessedly mess free if you put down some newspaper before you get started. It’s a process art craft that’s perfectly suited for slightly older kids who are capable of a little more restraint and artistry.

A little help from an adult goes a long way with this idea from I Heart Arts n Crafts—namely because it might not be a “picture frame vase” unless someone is there to help with the contact paper application. Once that’s done, however, kids can paint to their heart’s content and also have a meaningful bonding moment looking at and selecting family photographs that will pull the whole thing together.

Wire cutters and a hot glue gun are required for this flower craft from The Craft Patch, 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 from Pink Stripey Socks. 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, courtesy of Rhythms of Play, 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) for this project from Kara Creates, 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, courtesy of The Best Ideas for Kids, 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 from Crafts by Amanda 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 project from Crafts by Amanda that’s great 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, courtesy of Pink Stripey Socks, 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 from The Craft Patch 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 from Crafts by Amanda. 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 from Kid Friendly Things to Do. 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.

I gave my daughter a bird’s nest necklace for her birthday one year as a symbol of our relationship and it was the most expensive gift I ever bought her. (It was like $80 and that’s a pretty hefty price tag for a piece of jewelry an 8-year-old would be wearing!) Since then, I discovered this awesome tutorial from Busy Creating Memories and I’m thinking this is the way to go. The jewelry-making process is entirely beginner-friendly and perfect for tweens and teens who are interested in exploring the craft, and the work of wearable art only requires a few materials (metal beading wire, a customizable selection of gems, a bird charm and a necklace chain). I’d bet dollars to doughnuts that the tween or teen in your brood will never feel more proud of a handmade gift.

I’m going to be the bad guy (or mom, as it were) and just come out and say it. After ten wonderful years of motherhood, if there’s one way I want to be celebrated on Mother’s Day, it’s to be left completely alone to enjoy a warm, luxurious bath…and perhaps a nap and some quiet time spent with a glass of wine and a good book. Enter: this DIY body scrub, courtesy of A Pumpkin and a Princess.

Equip a tween or teen with a diverse selection of buttons and some jewelry wire and they can easily put together a gorgeous bouquet of flowers that can be added to every year for future Mother’s Days. If your child feels so inclined, they should absolutely take the opportunity to paint or decorate the vase as they see fit.