
10 Sentimental Gifts for Mom This Mother’s Day

Struggling to find the perfect gift for Mom this Mother’s Day? Here are 10 great gift options to make yourself (and a few to buy if DIYing gifts isn’t your thing!)
The older I get, the less stuff I find myself wanting. So when my husband recently asked me if I could point in the direction of a Motherโs Day gift for me this year (Iโm just floored heโs already thinking of Motherโs Day and itโs only March!), I told him to think of a gift he andย the girls can make, or at very least personalize, for me, I just want a sentimental gift that will commemorate where we are in life in 2021.ย ย
When my kids were babies, I loved handprint and footprint crafts. I have handprint turkeys and footprint penguins. Now that my kids are older, I treasure these sentimental keepsakes in a way I didnโt think I would when I was busy covering my kidsโ feet in gloppy paint and hoping to not ruin their outfits in the process.ย ย
My youngest is now 7, and handprint and footprint art has fallen out of favor in my household.ย Yet the sentiment behind these simple treasures remains. There are still so many wonderful ways my kids can make me fun, memorable gifts that I will cherish for years and look back on fondly when my days of raising kids are behind me. I want them to mark this moment in time for me to look back on always because the best, most sentimental Motherโs Day gifts come from the heart.ย ย

Best Sentimental Gifts to Give for Motherโs Day 2022
1. MOM Photo
I have three girls, so this is a photo Iโve asked specifically for this year. I want each of my girls dressed in a way that suits her style, each holding up a letter (either M or O). Then I want my husband to print them and line them up in aย picture frameย so that the images together are my girls spelling mom. Donโt have three kids? You can still make this photo work! If you only have one kid, have her holdย up the words by herself! Two kids? Have one of them hold up a sign saying โWe Loveโ and the other kiddo a sign that says โMom.โ More than three kids? Play around with the word Mama or Mother. Or include the year to commemorate this sentimental Motherโs Day gift.
2. Personalized Mom Poem, Performance Optional
I am one of four kids, and, until recently, my siblings and I all lived in different states. Celebrating Motherโs Day, orย any sort of special event, was hard. So we got creative. My momโs name is Jane, so we each took a letter and wrote a few sentences (rhyming optional!) about how awesome our mother is. Then, we filmed ourselves reading our piece. We used a simple app to compile our performances and sent my mom the video for Motherโs Day. We also printed our poem on elegant card stock and framed it.ย So get your creative juices flowing and write an Ode to Mom this Motherโs Day!
3. Dried flowers; Picked, Signed and Framed by the Kids
Withย Springย in the air these days, itโs hard to not get excited for the warmer days ahead when you drive by a field of wildflowers.ย We always end up with more flowers in my car than I know what to do with! Why not turn those beautiful flowers into a timeless gift? Let each kid pick a flower of her choice. Then,ย dry the flowersย by placing them between two sheets of wax paper in a heavy book. In a few days, when the flowers have dried, glue them to a piece of white cardstock. Let each child sign her autograph next to the flower she picked and then frame the final piece after writing the date somewhere on the paper to forever commemorate this stage in your kidsโ lives!
4. Personalized Pillow
I love displayingย fun throw pillowsย on the couch in my living room and switching them out as my seasonal dรฉcor allows. My girls and I are currently working on a new one to add to our rotation- a personalized pillow! Iโve purchased a standard white throw pillow case and fabric markers in a bevy of colors. Then Iโve asked each girl to think of things that she likes right this very minute. Then, my girls are taking turns writing and drawing things that they love in their area of the pillow. Iโve also asked them to sign and date the pillow case. When they are done, I can proudly display the pillow on my couch for all my friends to see.
5. Handprint Coasters
I am (finally!) the owner of several nice, new (or newly redone)ย coffeeย tables. And with nice furniture comes the need for coasters to protect the gorgeous wood from unfortunate rings from drinks. Enter handprint coasters, a gift I love to both give and receive. Weย grab ceramic tiles from a craft storeย and Sharpies in every color under the sun. Then we do one handprint coaster for each girl per year by tracing her hand and then having her sign her name and put her age and the year in the palm of her hand. Bake the finished tile at 350 for 30 minutes and voila! You have a practical coaster marking this time in your kidโs life. It blows my mind to look back at the coasters weโve collected through the years and marvel at how much my kids have grown!
6. A Personalized but Blank Book to Fill with Memories
Iย have high hopes for travel plans in 2021. So I would love a blank book, with a note written to me from them, inside. Then, throughout the year ahead, we can fill it with memories! A great idea to fill the book is to collect stickers everywhere you go. You can find them anywhere- museums, gas stations, souvenir shops. Most people sell a sticker commemorating their business and they usually cost less than $3. Grab a sticker at each place you visit and place it inside the book with a sentence or two about the attraction. Then look back at the book next Motherโs Day to remember the great year you had!
7. A Decorated Flower Pot with Seeds
Indoor plants are all the rage right now! So why not have the kids decorate a few ceramic pots to house the gorgeous greenery? Use markers to decorate clay or ceramic pots with pictures or words, and then bake the pots at 350 for 30 minutes to set the artwork. Gift the pot with seeds of your kidsโ choosing to plant with the recipient.
8. Kid-Made Confections
Not all sentimental gifts have to last for years to come. Sometimes the best gifts for Motherโs Day are just about the gift giverโs intent. If your child loves to bake, why not let her get creative in the kitchen? My girls love makingย easy fudgeย in the microwave with white chocolate chips and a few additional ingredients. Then they can color the fudge whatever color they choose (purple for this mama!) and spell a sweet message on top of the fudge with icing or chocolate chips. Pretty and yummy? Perfect!
9. Birthstone Jewelry for Mom
Okay, so this gift may take a little bit of help from Dad. But I love theย birthstone ringsย I have to celebrate my kids. I wear three rings stacked together on my right hand, each with a birthstone commemorating a kid. My rings go October-May-October, pink-emerald-pink, and I love that this combo is unique to me. When Iโm traveling or away from my kids and missing their sweet voices, these rings bring a smile to my face!
10. Kid-Made Spa Day
My kids prepared a spa day for me last year, and it was simply the best! They made me a โmenuโ of all the services I would be receiving and signed their names by each (I still have the menu in my memory bin!). They started by drawing me a bubble bath and presenting me withย body scrubย they made themselves. They made and served me my favorite tea in aย pretty mug.ย Then, they painted my nails the color of my choosing. They rounded off my spa experience with chocolate chip cookies they made themselves. Sometimes the gift of relaxation can be priceless!
