Holidays are supposed to be a fun, family-filled time to show the people we love just how thankful we are to have them in our lives. The last thing moms want on Mother’s Day is to think of their family sweating the small stuff, worried about how to show their love. This year, Wonder Bunch asked some of our favorite moms about the special gifts that meant the most to them! Breakfast in bed and a day without fighting are on everyone’s wish list, but here are a few of the other fun ideas they wanted to share with you!
DIY Crayon Candle
If your home is full of children, it’s also full of broken, unpapered, half-spent crayons that are never again used and yet somehow never get thrown away. Clear the clutter and upcycle those colors!
Collect and clean all of the broken pieces, remove any leftover paper or debris (be sure you’re using non-toxic crayons!),and separate into like-colors. Melt them in a double boiler, or over low heat on the stove. If Mom has a favorite scent, you can add a few drops of lavender, orange, or mint essential oils to the crayons, but be aware of how they mix with any scents that may already be present! Let your children direct color mixing, marbling, or layering, but be careful, as the wax has to be very hot in order to pour.
Pour your still-hot wax into ice cube trays, candy molds, or a non-Styrofoam upcycled egg tray. Sink a smoke-less wickinto the center of your candles and let them cool and set overnight. Wrap them in tissue paper to create the perfect upcycled gift for your favorite moms!
This One is Bound to Be Helpful!
Every drawing our little ones make for us is a work of art we never want to part with! But as the loose sheets start to pile up, art appreciation turns into whole-home domination. Helping children assemble their works of art into scrapbooks will keep their priceless pieces safe, and make them easier to appreciate for years to come! And giving Mom a beautifully bound book where all of this handiwork is safe (and organized!) is a gift that she’ll absolutely treasure. Let children choose a special book, or create their own art-book covers from contact paper, scrapbook paper, or beautifully decorated paper bags.
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
And pictures of the family she adores are worth infinitely more! Have all of her favorite moments printed in a keepsake book, available through FreePrints, Snapfish, or Shutterfly. While social media has made sharing photos easy, nothing can beat the kinesthetic reward of sitting together flipping through a photobook for years to come. To create an even more special photo book, give each one a theme. One of exclusively fishing adventures, one of park missions, one of just holidays. Give your series a name, like the Coopers’ Camping Chronicles, or the Harpers’ Holiday Collection, and take the time to reflect on just what an adventure it is having exactly this family.
Give Them a Hand We would hold our children’s hands forever if we could, and with a hand casting kit, finally we can! Create custom hand molds to use as bookends, jewelry holders, or simply beautiful reminders of how our kids will always know they can reach out to us. You can buy a full kit online at Target by clicking here.
Coupon Book Older kids may want to celebrate Mother’s Day by taking something off Mom’s plate (besides her food this time!).Creating custom coupon books allows each child to tell Mom “I Love You” in their very own way! Let each child pick a small note pad from the dollar store, or create your own using construction paper, a paper punch, and some pretty ribbon. Help them think of things they can do, using their own love language, to show Mom they care. For children who express love through acts of service, they may choose to fill their coupon book with items like:
This coupon is good for one week of feeding the dog
This coupon can be exchanged for clearing the table after meals
This coupon good for unloading the dishwasher
This coupon purchases one story told by (Child’s Name)
Encourage your child to find their own unique way to express the relationship they have with their mother, and learn a little bit about how they say “I love you” with this fun exercise! No matter who you celebrate or how you celebrate, we want to take this time to thank all of the moms, stepmoms, grandmoms, and mother figures who are raising kids with compassion and wonder. We are grateful for you and all that you do, and our whole team wishes you the happiest Mother’s Day yet!
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