2024 Mother's Day is Sunday: Top Tips & Ideas to Surprise a Special Mom, Grandma, Dad (For Kids, Dads & Moms that Need Ideas)NEW

Tips to Delight & Surprise Mom (Don't Forget Those Special Dads)
Beyond your Mothers Day gift there are dozens of unique and sincere gestures to keep Mom surprised all day. Catch her off-guard with a special gesture.

Kids Simple Tips to Surprise Mom on Mothers Day
Has Mom nagged you to clean your room or tidy up the garage or play area? Why not give her the gift of surprise and actually do it on Mothers Day!

Do the laundry or cook dinner for Mom.

Anything you can do to make her life easier on Mothers Day will be a special surprise. Can't think of anything?

20 Ways For Kids to Surprise Mom on Mothers Day
Put Your Best Foot Forward for Mom
1) Do Your Homework. Mother's Day falls on Sunday, so why not get your homework out of the way early in the weekend so you can spend Sunday with Mom?
2) With some planning, you can dedicate a good grade in school to Mom. Work extra hard on a school project or paper or tell her you earned that good grade for all the help she's given you.
3) Clean your room. She's nagged you and nagged you. Make the chore part of your gift to Mom on Mother's Day.
4) Mom's Day Off. Plan a Mothers Day in which Mom is completely off the hook. If you're old enough to drive, be her chauffer for the day. If she normally does housework on Sunday, take over the chores for her special day.
5) Wash and detail Mom's car. Scrub the exterior and vacuum the interior for a unique and impromptu Mother's Day gift.
6) Give her car a tune-up. If you're an older child with driving privileges, take Mom's care for an oil-change.

Help Mom Relax and De-Stress
7) Set Mom's mood with candles. In the morning light an aromatherapy candle in her bedroom or bathroom. In the evening light a richly scented candle in the kitchen or living room.
8) In addition to candles, why not urge Mom to take time for a personal Bubble Bath? Dont interrupt her with chores or questions about dinner, but deliver her a good book, a cozy robe and run a hot bath, complete with candles and her favorite bath oils, salts or bubble bath.

Create a Special Homemade Gift
9) Draw or paint Mom a picture. Whether its a kindergarten crayon drawing or a college art studio object d'art, Mom will proudly display your work.
10) Plan a Skit. Get siblings together and plan and act out a short humorous skit that honors Mom. Playfully re-enact a memorable family event, a funny camping trip, or a time when Mom did something especially caring or courageous. A comic sketch can tactfully and light-heartedly poke fun at Mom's quirky traits while letting her know how much you enjoy and appreciate her as a Mother.
11) Play Mom your own Music. If you play an instrument, love to sing, write your own songs or even play other peoples songs, then consider performing for Mom on Mothers Day. Whether you're studying for the conservatory, or simply like to jam with a local garage band, Mom will be touched by the effort you've devoted to composing and practicing a piece in her honor.

Use Food to Win Her Heart
12) Fix Mom a fresh Mother's Day smoothie. Choose a simple smoothie recipe and surprise Mom with an early morning fruit rush. For simpler fruit fare, squeeze fresh oranges for an elegant morning juice glass.
13) Bake a cake. Does Mom like fancy desserts? Choose a cake recipe that will surprise her-not your average run of the mill yellow box cake, either.

Show Her How Much She's Loved
14) Balloon Poetry. Hang balloons around the house with personal, thoughtful messages written on them. Be specific. Think of Mom's positive characteristics, and the nice things she does for you. TIP: Instead of writing something generic like Happy Mothers Day, try something like Thank you for being there at our baseball games" or We love the delicious dinners you cook for us.
15) Free Mom to spend time with Dad. Older siblings-take your younger sisters and brothers out to a movie, walk in the park, or on an extended day trip so that Mom and Dad can enjoy quality time together on Mothers Day.
16) Mothers Day Essay. Write about what Mom means to you, what she does for you, and what makes her a great Mother.
17) Tell Mom something nice about her. Did someone say something nice about Mom? Whether it was a neighbor, friend or even a family member, let her know about it.
18) Give Mom a Mother's Day hug. You can't get much simpler or sincere than this.

From a Distance
19) Call Mom and spend more than your perfunctory couple of minutes with her. She's wanted to know all about you, so share your week's exploits, highlights of your job, boss gripes, favorite wines, good movies, favorite coffee shop, current date, etc. She's dying to know.
20) Write Mom a thoughtful handwritten letter. Tell her all the same you'd tell her over the phone, but choose a pretty piece of notepaper or a card and write it yourself. The handwritten note is fast becoming a rare gift.


Dads Surprise Your Wife on Mothers Day
Your wife deserves a special Thank You. If you have small children, coordinate a festive Mothers Day dinner or breakfast. Pull the team together to get the daily chores done without her help.

Have the kids left home or gone to bed? Spend some quality time with your wife and just say Thanks.

Take Charge of the House
1) Decorate the House. Festively decorate the house after she goes to bed. Balloons, streamers and a big bouquet of flowers on the dining room table will be sure to surprise her.
2) Pick her Wildflowers. You'll earn points for spontaneity, while providing a fresh, natural, bouquet that will last for days.
3) Cook for her. Plan ahead to prepare a delicious dinner on Mother's Day. Choose a recipe you know she'll love, buy the fresh ingredients to create something new and original. Consider a dish that pulls from the flavors of her favorite types of food. For example, if you know she loves Italian food like pasta and pizza, consider cooking, lasagna, ravioli, gnocchi or another undiscovered recipe. Tip: Even if you're not a natural chef, cooking a delicious meal can be remarkably simple.
4) Wash and detail her car. Vacuum and wipe down the inside; wash and wax the outside so it shines.
5) Fill up the Tank. You wife will enjoy get a very pleasant surprise when she turns on her car. This increasingly valuable gesture not only saves her money, but time as well.
6) Free Time. If she wants uninterrupted relaxation, then make it happen. Let her know that you will take care of the kids, handle all meals and field the phone calls.

Make Gift Giving Special
7) Mother's Day Tree. Set aside gift-giving time on Mothers Day. Bring together the whole family to present their gifts to Mom as she opens them up in front of everybody. Make a ritual out of the occasion. A more elaborate gift-giving session could involve bringing in a seasonal Mother's Day Tree. This could even be an elegant houseplant or bonsai, for example. Place Mom's gifts around the "tree" the night before, after she goes to bed.

Romantic Gestures On Mother's Day
8) Morning Mimosa. Champagne, freshly squeezed orange juice, ice, maybe a dash of grenadine: a mimosa in the morning will prepare your wife for a relaxing and carefree Mother's Day.
9) Breakfast in Bed. Make sure you have everything ready the day before the tray, the coffee and the fixings for her favorite breakfast. Let her know that today she can stay in bed and enjoy breakfast as long as she wants.
10) Take her out dancing. Invite your wife out to a classy club or dance hall. Arrange a babysitter for the kids, and let her revel in an evening of careless abandon.
11) Give her a massage. Give Mom a stress-relieving backrub or massage. Even if you never learned shiatsu, gently pressing out the knots in her shoulders and back is an intimate, invigorating expression of your affection, love and appreciation.
12) Write her a song. And sing it to her. With or without musical accompaniment, a heartfelt ode to your wife and mother of your children will positively tickle her. Note: this is a very romantic gesture.
13) Buy her Lingerie. Let Mom know she is still a beautiful and sexy woman, in addition to being a wonderful Mother. Indulge her.
14) Take her out for a cocktail (or two). Arrange a babysitter for the kids and invite Mom to a swanky bar. Sipping cocktails is an ideal opportunity to enjoy hours of carefree, silly and spontaneous conversation with your wife.

Give Her the Gift of Your Time
15) Groom Yourself. Before going out on Mother's Day, choose a nice suit, put on some cologne and shave your weekend shadow. Taking the time to look nice for your wife is a flattering gesture that won't go unnoticed.
16) Recite a Poem. Select a poem that is illustrative of your love and appreciation for your wife. Or choose one of her personal favorites. Tip: Plan ahead by memorizing a short poem. Then surprise Mom while at a cafe or walking in the park. She will be impressed and flattered by the time and effort you've devoted to presenting her with a beautiful, inspiring poem-even if it's only a stanza or two.
17) Give her an IOU. Promise Mom a day free of chores or two tickets to a local concert. IOU's let Mom choose the time and place to redeem her Mother's Day gift. She can use them right away, or wait until a more another time when she is more in need of a break.
18) Her wish, your command. Let her call the shots on Mother's Day. Make sure she understands, on a fundamental level, that she needn't shy away from any request. Her happiness is your happiness-and the whole family's, for that matter.
19) Tell her you love her. A classic: thoughtful, free, and highly appropriate on Mother's Day. Surprise her at a moment you normally wouldn't say it, or let these be the first words she hears upon waking up: "I love you."
20) Write a Note. Leave her a kind note where you know she'll find it. It's up to you how long you want to make it. Whether it's a lengthy treatise on your undying love, or a couple lines reminding her that she's an excellent Mother, this is a powerful, surprising and flattering gesture, sure to delight her.

Don't Forget the Special Dads 
Father's Day is a special day to honor and celebrate fathers, but when it comes to single-parent families where the father plays both the roles of mom and dad, it's appropriate to acknowledge their efforts on Mother's Day as well.

If you are addressing a dad who is playing the role of both mom and dad in a single-parent family, you can use wording such as:

• "Happy Mother's Day to the amazing dad who does it all!"
• "Wishing a very Happy Mother's Day to the dad who's also a mom!"
• "To the dad who plays the role of both mom and dad, Happy Mother's Day!"
• "Happy Mother's Day to the super dad who is a mom in every way that matters!"
• "Thank you for being both a mother and a father to your children. Happy Mother's Day!"

These messages show your appreciation for the father's hard work and dedication in raising their children and acknowledging the important role they play in their children's lives.