Will you be celebrating moms in the classroom for Mother’s Day this year? In addition to handmade gifts created by their children, a highlight of the year for moms is coming to school for a Mother’s Day Tea. This event can be as simple or elaborate as you would like – moms feel special and appreciated no matter how fancy the event! Take a look at some of the components you might want to include in your celebration, followed by some suggestions based on what we’ve done in the classroom:
- Food and beverages – We’ve definitely swung from simple to more elaborate in this category, depending on what else was going on the week before Mother’s Day. Getting students involved, we’ve had them make finger sandwiches (white bread, cream cheese, cucumber slices) when we had lots of prep time, to purchasing delicious pastries from the supermarket when we did not. Offering iced water, iced tea, and lemonade provides something for everyone. And if you have time, you could brew the iced tea with the children’s help, of course!
- Decorations – This can be as simple as tablecloths on the table or adding flowers, arranged by the students, on the tables. A couple of years there were students who wanted to type of a menu of the drinks and snacks available, and those on the tables to make the decorations “fancier.”
- Invitations – In addition to letting mothers know about the event well ahead of time in a classroom newsletter or email, a personalized touch is a handwritten invitation from each student to his or her mother. For a simpler project, a template can be provided for younger students to add the greeting and sign their names, or custom invitations could be made by each student if you have the time.
- Entertainment – Simply having nice background music playing is an option, or having children recite a Mother’s Day poem or song. One year, older elementary students changed the lyrics to a popular song to be about moms and that was really fun for both students and mothers alike!
No matter what you choose to do, you can be sure that any gesture celebrating Mother’s Day in the classroom will be a hit with moms and very much appreciated!
