Budget-Friendly Ways for Your Kids to Celebrate Mom

With Mother's Day just around the corner, a lot of pressure tends to fall on Dad. Although she may never say it, you know that your wife is expecting something from you and the kids for Mother's Day, but it can be hard if finances are tight. Instead of pouring out money this year, why not pour out some extra love with these budget-friendly crafts that you and your children can do together?

1. Succulent Tea Cup Garden

Ditch the elaborate (and expensive) bouquet, and give Mom an adorable "garden" of succulents that will last much longer than the bouquet. Follow these easy instructions from Lina at hip2save.com, and your children can make a variety of teacup succulents for under $5 a piece!

2. Make a "Fancy" Picnic

Bring your kids with you to find and decorate the perfect spot for a special picnic. Preferably, find a place where you can string some battery-powered LED lights or paper streamers, such as a covered picnic table or a low-hanging tree. Lay out a big blanket and even pillows to make the area as cozy as possible. Then invite Mom to join you all at a specified time for a picnic lunch that the kids helped you prepare.

3. Fingerprint Flower Magnets

Cute homemade magnets are an adorable way for Mom to hang up all your kids' artwork, and she'll love seeing their little fingerprints. Most of the supplies can be obtained at your local dollar store and will make several magnets for each of your children to give. Find instructions and a video on how to make them at Rhythms of Play.

4. Start a Keepsake Tablecloth

If you want to give Mom a gift that keeps growing, try making a decorative tablecloth. Start with a plain white tablecloth, buy some markers, and let your kids draw pictures and write messages to Mom year after year. Money Crashers has all the instructions and more ideas to make this a unique masterpiece for Mom.

5. Pressed Flower Art

Take your kids flower-picking a few days in advance, and let them each build a small bouquet for Mom. Then follow these easy instructions from LilyArdor to turn those flowers into beautiful pieces of artwork. You'll need a couple of bricks and, preferably, a separate frame for each child, but you can easily make each flower art piece for under $5, especially if you visit your local thrift store or dollar store for cheap frames.

6. Personalized Jewelry Bowl

Take a small thrift-store bowl and turn it into a useful, personalized keepsake for Mom. Find an appropriate-sized dish for a few trinkets, and let your kids decorate it with Sharpie or glass-paint markers. Find instructions at Organized31 on how to make this easy gift and a link on how to bake in the marker if you want it to last longer.

Mother's Day doesn't have to be stressful with so many fun and easy ideas for you and your kids to make for Mom. With just a little bit of time and even less money, you can give her something that she'll treasure for years to come.