Mother’s Day Cards
This year, I had too much fun coloring my Pop Art Mother’s Day cards. I sort of re “discovered” the Prismacolor markers I had been hoarding saving all these years. Oooh la la, those markers are lovely!!! Coloring is wonderful therapy and a calming activity for children AND adults.
I am always reminded of how powerful it is to stop and sit down side-by-side with students and make art. In this post, I have many Mother’s Day Activities that you can do with your students—including Mother’s Day cards your students can create and take home to their families.
This resource includes 12 different ready-to-color designs inspired by Andy Warhol, Robert Indiana, Wayne Thiebaud, Roy Lichtenstein, Romero Britto, and Keith Haring. This set also now includes a “mum” variation for my teacher friends who might need this variation. I also included a bunch of Grandmother variations. These Mother’s Day cards are easy for the teacher because there is little to no prep, and the kids LOVE them. There are 12 designs to pick from!
Bright Colors are a MUST!
I used Prismacolor markers to color these Mother’s Day cards in the examples, but of course, you can use anything you have. Crayons, markers, or colored pencils all work fine. However, bright, fun colors are non-negotiable.
So Many Variations!
You can make so many variations with these cards. You can either use the templates exactly like they are, print them, and have the kids color, cut, fold, and write. Or you can let your students use the designs and incorporate them into their own (new) Mother’s Day card designs. Combined with your students’ creativity, you’ll be amazed at how the final cards come out.
I can imagine some middle school kids using the designs as a starting point and inspiration (practice) and then creating their own Pop Art-inspired hand-made cards with watercolor paints or other mediums. The possibilities are endless!
To preview these Mother’s Day cards, click HERE. I also have cards for Father’s Day HERE.
3D Flowers
Kids love to make their mother’s hand-made cards. I’m pretty sure we can all agree on that. I would also bet (especially as a mom myself) that moms LOVE receiving these precious, priceless gifts from their children. A hand-made card is like a snapshot in time from the child’s perspective. The way children write a word, the way they draw themselves, or their family are priceless to parents as their child rapidly grows up and changes.
How the Idea Came About
Several years ago, one of my favorite second-grade teachers was retiring, and the kids and I made her large 3D flowers to hang up at her retirement party. I found the idea on Pinterest, and you can see the original flowers HERE.
The kids LOVED making the flowers, but since it was a collaborative effort, they could not keep any of the flowers. After the party, I hung them up in the art room so the kids could enjoy them, but they all still wanted one of their own.
Big Cards for Mom!
I decided to work on the flower’s design to make it manageable for kids on a smaller scale. I created templates and instructions for them to use. We combined them with a unique Mother’s Day Card that had a flower on the outside and a letter and self-portrait on the inside.
We glued these flowers on the front of a 12″ x 18″ piece of construction paper folded in half. On the inside, we added our letters to Mom and our self-portraits!
My Own Memory Book
When I graduated high school, my mother created a memory book for me and inside was precious pieces of “time” from my younger self–photographs, letters, artwork, awards, etc. I treasure that book. I hope that parents treasure the portraits and letters inside these cards as well.
You can find these Mother’s Day Activities HERE.
3D Message Box
Another Mother’s Day lesson I created was a spin-off of my Valentine’s Day message boxes. Kids love making these one-of-a-kind boxes full of love notes. In my online store, I put these two lessons together so that you can get both of them together (the large card with flower and the message box).
For this project, I created a flower with six petals, and the kids all got to write about six things they love about their moms.
Then, my students put the note inside the message box that they colored, cut out, and assembled. I know the mothers are surprised and delighted with this special box on their special day. I included a blank box template for students who want to make up their own designs. I find that the really creative and older students love having the option of total creative freedom! The pre-designed boxes are a more ready-made option. They work great for younger students or children without a lot of art experience who might be more reserved and worried about “jumping in” with their own work.
You can find these Mother’s Day Activities HERE.
Mother’s Day Sunshine Freebie!
This resource is all about sharing some “sunshine” with the important people in the kids’ lives. Of course, it is the perfect Mother’s Day Activity. But it is also designed to be used for Father’s Day, Teachers Appreciation Day, and so much more! I created this resource in collaboration with Brain Waves Instruction.
Children will create a fun and festive 3-D sunshine project filled with memories, lessons learned, and sweet sentiments about an important person in their lives. The finished sunshine page makes the perfect gift for someone special! This project combines reflecting, writing, drawing, and creating. Students love turning their words into a happy gift…and the recipient will treasure their 3-D sunshine for a lifetime!
You can find this FREE activity on Teachers Pay Teachers HERE.
Jenny K.
