These Homemade Mother’s Day Cards Are Way Better Than Cookie-Cutter Store Cards

Make sure you have all the basics at home. Some great artistic tools for homemade Mother's Day cards include construction paper, markers, colored pencils, scissors, ribbon, and — dare I say — glitter. (Actually, mom might be thrilled if you stick to glitter pens over loose glitter, especially if she's the one who vacuums.)

Homemade Mother's Day cards can be anything you dream them to be. Have your child brainstorm some good ideas that just say "mom."

You can approach homemade Mother's Day cards in many ways. If you have multiple children, sitting them around a big craft table (hopefully when mom isn't around to see) may be a smart move. But if you have a single child, or children who love having a game plan, it may be better to draft out some ideas first. Do your children want to create a card that incorporates mom's favorite animal, color, or flower?

Don't be afraid to go all out when it comes to homemade Mother's Day cards. Feel like using googly eyes? What's stopping you? You can also press some flowers for mom and put them on the card if you're feeling adventurous. Since Mother's Day is a great spring holiday, that would actually make quite a big impression.

Perennial plants are great to press, but any flower will work. Just try to avoid any with bulbs, or any that seem too thick, since you won't get the result you're looking for.

Protecting the flowers with layers of newsprint, find a big book (a dictionary would work well) to use its pages. Line each page with newsprint, put your flower gently inside, and press down.

It's best to then stack books on top of the book that you need. The more weight, the better. However, make sure to stack with gentle hands. Flowers should be secure while in the book, but they're still generally pretty fragile to use for art.

A well-ventilated area will help flowers dry sooner, but in general, it should take a few days. So the sooner you start pressing, the better.

So, how do you transfer the pressed flowers onto a homemade Mother's Day card for mom? You have to be gentle. Wax paper will help ensure that your pressed flowers won't stick to other areas before you're ready to place them. Attach flowers to strong paper with the use of clear-drying glue. Make sure to use a sturdy piece of paper so that the glue doesn't weigh it down.

Of course, kids can also personalize cards. Have them trace their hands on a piece of construction paper. You can use these cutouts in plenty of different ways.

For example, you can make a flower bouquet out of the handprints. One day, when mom is looking back at her Mother's Day cards, she'll always be able to remember how small her children once were with keepsakes like this.

A photo collage is also a great way to put together a homemade Mother's Day card. If you take a lot of pictures, you can fit them together like a puzzle. If photos are digital, younger children can work with another adult to print them out and turn them into something fun.

Drawing a picture of mom also works. Just make sure to showcase your love by adding a bunch of hearts.

If your child has a recent school picture, or a picture they love, that can serve as another good card idea. Glue the picture on a piece of construction paper, and ask your child to create a frame that's all about mom. Maybe a string of hearts or some kind words would be perfect. You can also glue other decor, like gems or lace, onto the card to make it stand out even more.

Poems are also a great way to personalize cards. You can include a poem on the inside of the card, or on front. You can use an acrostic: "M-O-M" is a simple one. An acrostic takes each letter of a word and turns it into something else. So, for "MOM," you can write "Magnificent, Optimistic, Memorable" or something similar. But if you have older kids, they can experiment with different kinds of poems that'll make mom feel extra special.

There's no right or wrong way to write poetry. It's all about how you feel. That said, it may be a big step to have your child express themselves so creatively as a gift for mom. You can ask your child for some good adjectives to describe mom, and start from there.

Or you can ask your child about their best memory of mom. That may inspire a short poem that'll make her day.

Remember those handprints from earlier? You can also turn those into the front and back of a card. In the middle, you can put a poem. It'll look as if both hands (you'll want to make sure you have a right and a left on properly) are holding the kind words written by your child. If you're aiming to get happy tears out of mom this Mother's Day, a card like this would be perfect.

If poetry isn't your child's thing, a story may be perfect. Ask your child to create a story where mom is a superhero. Then have them list all of the super things she does on a daily basis to make everyone's lives easier. Your homemade Mother's Day card can resemble a small book. You can fold and staple some white computer paper inside a "binding" of construction paper (or something even stronger) to create it. The mom in your life will love flipping through the pages to see what kind of adventure she was imagined into.

Of course, you should get a gift for mom for Mother's Day. But it'd be nice if her homemade Mother's Day card also had something special inside. Maybe some drawings from your child, or a gift card to her favorite store or coffee place.

You can even make it fun. If mom's been dreaming of going to the movies or booking a massage, a gift card to either venue is a great way of saying "put it on the calendar."

While homemade Mother's Day cards are a great opportunity to show mom how you feel (and how creative you can be), the most important part of Mother's Day is spending time together. For adults, it's good to call your mom on the phone and hope for a long conversation. Ask her how her day was, and talk to her about your life. That call will be the highlight of her day.

For younger kids, it's a good way to show mom how vital she is to the family. Making breakfast for her with other family members is a fun idea. Or just sitting down and watching a show with her without any interruptions. Let mom have a nice day filled with love and peace.

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