Easy Mother’s Day Gifts for Kids to Make

Of course it’s impossible to generalize what moms want for Mother’s Day (I have always said I wanted a nap), but I think it’s fair to say most moms would like getting a gift that their kid had a hand in making. Here are some easy Mother’s Day gifts that kids can make or help with, that can be made one kid or a group of kids at a time.

We’ve already covered the cuteness of handprint and fingerprint crafts for parents, but this fingerprint heart necklace from Rhythms of Play is another sweet take on that theme. You might not have these supplies on hand if you’re not a big jewelry maker but it should be pretty easy to find them at a big box craft store or online.

Another cute idea for a necklace or keychain is to have kids draw on shrink plastic and make that into a pendant or a keychain loop. This is a pretty quick and easy project and the drawing can have to do with Mother’s Day or not, it would still be special for a mom or grandparent. Get the instructions from Kindergarten Chaos.

Print a special photo and give mom a place to display it with this easy painted rock photo holder from Buggy and Buddy. Little kids can paint the rock and thread the beads while an adult assembles the holder, or older kids can do this whole project themselves.

How about an upcycled planter? These painted can plant holders from the Best Ideas for Kids are easy to make — just make sure the can doesn’t have any sharp bits before you give it to a kiddo to paint. (Of course an adult will need to drill the drain holes as well.)

Or how about a pretty painted Mason jar? Moms can always find a use for a jar. I have one my daughter painted with a handprint on it, or you can make this use jar votive holder from I Heart Arts and Crafts. The heart shape is super cute but you can do stripes or any other simple shape you like.

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Flowers to Make Mom for Mother's Day

Human brains are pretty amazing, allowing us to think, feel, create, communicate, move and more. But humans aren’t the only animals with cool brains, as Crab Museum explains in the book The No-Brainer Brain Explainer (illustrated by Bruno Valasse).

This book, aimed at kids in grades 1-4, is colorful and silly but also educational about how brains actually work, with billions of neurons sending electrical and chemical signals around the body.

“Everything we think, feel and experience comes from an electrical relay race, with neurons passing chemical batons to each other,” the book says. “The constant chatter of billions of brain cells creates your entire world.”

The book compares the brains of mammals to those of crabs (the book is “written” by a crab after all) and notes that crabs have fewer neurons and of course are much smaller, but they have separate parts of their brains that control their eyes and their legs. Crabs are also capable of remembering things, using tools and solving puzzles.

Some animals’ brains allow them to know more about their world in different ways from humans, such as spiders being sensitive to vibrations in their webs and catfish having an amazing sense of taste, with taste sensors all over their bodies.

It notes that 95 percent of brain activity goes toward things we do unconsciously, like breathing, walking and catching a ball flying toward us. It also talks about dreams, memory, how our emotions try to predict the future, where brains came from and fun facts about brains. For example, did you know a sperm whale is believed to have the biggest brain of any creature that’s even lived? Their brains weigh 18 pounds, compared to just 2.5 pounds for humans.

Information on what creatures have the smallest brains, the toughest brains, the most brains and those who actually eat their own brains will delight kids (and maybe gross them out a little bit). They’ll also enjoy learning about the mycelium network of fungi, which is like a brain without a body, and slime molds, which are like a brain without a brain.

It ends talking about why human brains are so special because we’ve found ways to work together, communicate and build communities on a scale bigger than any other animal.

Kids and adults alike will enjoy this colorful, silly and informational book about brains!

About the book: 64 pages, hardcover. Published 2026 by Wide Eyed Editions. Suggested retail price $19.99.

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