Dads, this activity's for you! Brighten mom's day with a set of kid-designed "mom coupons". From making the bed to giving out hugs, encourage your kids to come up with creative ideas to keep mom happily pampered for weeks. To max out the thoughtful gift factor, make them as personalized and specific as possible. Is mom a cholocate chip cookie fanatic? Write up a coupon for a dozen homemade chocolate chip cookies baked by her favorite little chef (and his daddy helper, too, of course). This is a great way to teach him about the importance of giving and showing appreciation to those you love.
What You Need:
- Sheet of lined paper
- Pencil or pen
- Construction paper
- Markers
- Hole punch
- Scissors
- 1 7"-10" length of yarn or ribbon
What You Do:
- Discuss ideas for the coupons with your child. Ask him to think of things that are unique about his mommy. What could he do for her to show how much he appreciates her? Help him make distinctions between what he likes and what mom likes. For example, he could think of things like "Water your favorite daisy plant" or "Clean my room without complaint". Help him write down his ideas on the lined paper.
- Help him cut the construction paper into several even shapes, from rectangles to flowers to hearts. Encourage him to name the shapes as he cuts.
- Now ask him to write one "mom coupon" statement on each paper shape.
- Punch two holes about 1" apart at the top of each coupon.
- Have him stack all the coupons on top of each other, making sure the holes all line up.
- Invite him to thread one length of yarn or ribbon through the holes in the coupons and tie in a bow at the front to create a coupon book.
- Encourage him to present his coupon book to mom on Mother's Day to show her how much he loves her. Mom is sure to love her thoughtful coupon book.
Don't want to throw away the coupons after they've been redeemed? Turn them into art by using them for a colorful shape collage.
By Erica Loop
Erica Loop has a MS in Applied Developmental Psychology from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Education. She has many years of teaching experience working in early childhood education, and as an arts educator at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh.
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