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Mother's Day Activities for Kids: 10 Things to Do with Mum
Mother's Day activities for kids aged 3 to 8: ten things to do with mum, not buy for her, from a breakfast tray to a yoga session they lead.
For a child aged 3 to 8, Mother's Day is best spent doing things with mum rather than buying for her: breakfast on a tray, a walk with a job, ten minutes on the floor where your child leads. These ten Mother's Day activities for kids are mostly free, grouped by how much mum has to do: nothing, a little, or all of it together.
Two or three ideas are plenty for one Mothering Sunday
Pick two or three. Each says the age it suits, and none needs anything you haven't got.
In the UK, Mother's Day is Mothering Sunday. BBC Newsround explains it began with people visiting their "mother" church, and their mothers, on the fourth Sunday of Lent, so the date moves every year. It's three weeks before Easter Sunday: find Good Friday on GOV.UK's bank holidays page, add two days, then count back three Sundays. The American Mother's Day, in May, is a different day. Most Mothering Sunday activities for children work just as well with Nan.
What can kids do while mum has a lie-in?
Every one of these Mother's Day activities for kids at home happens before mum comes downstairs, and she doesn't lift a finger. They need what's already in the kitchen and the drawer. The grown-up helping does anything hot or sharp.
1. Breakfast on a tray
Toast, some cut fruit and a menu your child draws. Say: "You're the waiter. What's on the menu?" You make and carry the tea; they carry the plate and the menu. A three-year-old tears and arranges; a seven-year-old spreads, and slices soft fruit with you beside them. Age 3 and up.
2. A card with jobs inside
The one thing to make. Fold a card and, inside, draw or write three "jobs I'll do for you" tokens: lay the table, pair the socks, sing a song on request. It covers the mothers day ideas for kids to make without a trip to the craft shop. Mum cuts them out and cashes them in all week. Age 3 and up.
3. The quiet tidy
One room, put right before she comes down. Set a timer for ten minutes and race it: shoes in pairs, toys in the box, cushions back on the sofa. Be honest about the scale. One room, not the house, and nobody vacuums at seven in the morning. Age 4 and up.
What can kids do with mum on Mother's Day?
These are the Mother's Day ideas for kids to do side by side with mum, once she's up. One is ours, on the mat. The others need a pair of shoes, a song or a rug. Mum joins in, but your child is in charge.
4. A session on the mat, where your child leads
This one is ours. On our Freedom Flow mat the poses are numbered, so your child calls them out and mum does what she's told. Sitting up: flower (1), butterfly, star (3) and boat. Then mum lies back for happy baby (13), rabbit (14) is done gently, and waterfall (15) finishes standing. Three slow breaths each. The names and numbers are the mat's; mum following orders is just the game. Age 3 and up, with help.
5. A walk with a job
A short walk to find three spring things: a daffodil, a bud, a bird. Say: "First to spot a daffodil chooses the way home." The NHS lists walking among the activities children aged 5 to 18 can do towards their average of at least 60 minutes a day across the week. Age 3 and up.
6. Teach mum something
Your child picks one thing they know and mum doesn't: a playground game, a song from nursery, how to draw their favourite animal. Say: "Today you're the teacher." Mum is the pupil and has to put her hand up to ask a question. Age 4 and up.
7. A picnic on the floor
A rug, a few cushions, and lunch eaten on the living-room floor. Your child plans the menu from what's in the fridge and carries things through. The point is that nobody lays the table, and the crumbs can wait until tomorrow. Age 3 and up.
What can kids do later in the day?
The afternoon is for keeping something from the day. These three take ten minutes each, suit the quiet hour after lunch, and leave mum with a photo, a jar of notes and, if she's near, a visit to Nan.
8. A photo with the date on it
Same spot, same pose, every Mothering Sunday. Pick somewhere that won't change, such as the front step, and write the date and your child's age on the back. The first one is this one. In a few years you'll have a row of them, and the step will look smaller. Age 3 and up.
9. A what-I-like-about-you jar
Folded notes, each with one thing your child likes about mum, dictated by the younger ones and written by the older ones. Say: "One thing per note. As many notes as you like." Seal the jar and open it together at bedtime. Age 3 and up.
10. Nan's turn
Mothering Sunday is Nan's day too. If Nan or Grandma is nearby, take one of the ideas above to her: the walk, the photo, or a short session on the floor. Our guide to yoga the whole family can do has simple poses for grown-ups and children side by side. Age 3 and up.
How do you put a Mother's Day together at home?
Two or three things is a full day. Three examples by age, not a timetable:
- Age 3 to 4: breakfast on a tray (1), the card with jobs (2), the session on the mat with help (4), the photo (8).
- Age 5 to 6: breakfast on a tray (1), the session on the mat with your child leading (4), the walk with a job (5), the jar (9).
- Age 7 to 8: a tray made mostly by them (1), the quiet tidy (3), teach mum something (6), Nan's turn (10).
If the session on the mat becomes a habit, here's how to start yoga with your child. For the poses you hold together, try our partner yoga poses for two.
Let them lead the lie-in. Each Yogi-Me mat has 15 numbered poses laser-engraved into the surface, so your child can call out the next one with no screen to follow. It's full length at 183 x 61 cm, so there's room for mum, and Nan can have a go at star. Two children leading side by side? Two or more mats are 10 per cent off. Choose a colour: £34.99 each, with free UK delivery and 30-day returns.
What if their mum isn't around on Mother's Day?
Every idea on this list works with whoever does the mothering: a step-mum, a foster carer, Nan or an aunt. Let your child choose who.
If a child's mum has died, the NHS says it's important for them to have someone they can talk to about that person, and that this "could be through photos, games, memory boxes or stories". A card written to her, her favourite walk, or a photo looked at together are all ways in. Let your child lead on what feels right.
Do these Mother's Day activities work in EYFS?
Yes, with small changes. In nursery or Reception, the card with jobs (2), a spring-things walk (5), a group photo (8) and a "what I like about my grown-up" circle (9) all work with a class. Say "grown-up" rather than "mum" so every child can join in.
What if a card is all they want to do?
Then keep it small. Some children want to hand over a card and go back to their toys; some make the toast and wander off before the tea arrives. Let them. Ten minutes and a slice of toast is still a Mother's Day.
For other days, we keep more screen-free activities for 3 to 8 year-olds, and Father's Day in June has its own list of Father's Day activities for kids and dads.
Frequently asked questions
When is Mother's Day in the UK?
Mother's Day in the UK is Mothering Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent, which is three weeks before Easter Sunday. Because Easter moves, so does Mothering Sunday, usually landing in March and occasionally in early April. Find Good Friday on GOV.UK's bank holidays page, add two days, then count back three Sundays.
Why is Mother's Day on a different date in the UK?
Because the UK day comes from the church calendar. BBC Newsround explains that Mothering Sunday grew from people returning to their 'mother' church, and their mothers, on the fourth Sunday of Lent. The American Mother's Day, in May, started separately, and Newsround says the two have no connection.
What can kids do for Mother's Day with no money?
Nearly everything on this list is free. Breakfast on a tray uses what's in the kitchen, the card with jobs inside needs paper and pens, and the quiet tidy, the walk with a job, teaching mum something, the floor picnic, the dated photo and the jar cost nothing at all.
What can a 3-year-old do for Mother's Day?
Quite a lot, with a grown-up's hands for the hot and sharp bits. A three-year-old can carry the plate and the menu, draw the tokens on a job card, spot a daffodil on the walk, copy a few of the sitting poses on the mat with help, and sit still, just about, for the photo.
