Celebrating Mothers' Day in Schools

The lead up to Mother's Day can be a lovely opportunity to allow children the space and time to celebrate their mum or a special grown-up at home, but in schools we know that family life can look different for everyone.

Some children may live with a dad, grandparent, aunt or uncle, foster carer or a guardian. Others may have experienced a bereavement. For some, the day can feel complicated or confusing.

Making Mothers' Day Inclusive in Primary Schools

Use inclusive language

Instead of focusing solely on "mums," you could base activities around:

• 'Someone special in your life'
• 'A grown-up who cares for you'
• 'A special person you would like to thank'

This allows all children to take part without drawing attention to personal circumstances. You may also wish to communicate to families in advance, letting them know that children can choose who they would like to celebrate.

Supporting children who may find Mothers' Day difficult

For some children, the day can be upsetting or confusing. To help minimise this, you could:

• Make participation flexible and low pressure
• Offer a range of tasks to choose from, including non-Mothers' Day activities
• Avoid asking children to share their work, unless they volunteer
• Check in discreetly with children you know may find the day challenging

We know that as teachers you will know the circumstances of the children in your class, so will be able to adapt activities and languages accordingly.

Some schools choose to broaden the day (along with Father's Day, later in the year) by running a 'Special Person's Day' activity.

Mother's Day Activities and Ideas with Purple Mash

Mothers' Day Writing Activities

Children may want to write about their mum and decorate with flowers and images in this writing template. This can be adapted to be about the special person the child would like to celebrate or thank. Alternatively, they could write about their female role model.

Mothers' Day Cards

Why not get your students to make a digital card for Mothers' Day? There are a few different options:

Make a Mothers' Day Picture

Children love creating pictures for their loved ones, so here are a few handpicked digital paint projects that are perfect for Mothers' Day:

Digital Mothers' Day Projects

For alternative ideas using digital skills, pupils could branch out and explore a few of the different tools on Purple Mash:

• Younger children may want to create an animated story for their special person, using 2Create a Story. They can even record voice clips to be added to the story.
• 2Cast is our podcasting tool, and could be used to record the child reading a special poem or extract from a story, with music and sound effects added afterwards.
• Children could also use 2Design and Make to make a 3D model - there are a range of ready-to-use shapes including a person, house or crown (or they could create their own design, such as a 3D heart or flower).

All of these activities are included as part of a Purple Mash subscription. If you're not yet a subscriber, you can get a free trial.