View more Mother's Day activities and crafts

Book Description:

One morning Mrs Large, needing some peace and quiet away from her boisterous children, decides to take refuge in the bathroom. She fills herself a foamy bubble-bath and takes in a tray of her favourite breakfast, but soon finds her peace is to be very short-lived!

Literacy Activity:

We celebrate Mother's Day every year—and with good reason. Mothers and their hard work often go unappreciated. Talk to your children about all the things their mother does for them. Cooking, cleaning, washing, shopping, taking care of them when they're sick, helping with homework, etc. Ask children how their mother tries to relax after all the hard work. Read the book to your children and pause on some pages to let children predict what will happen next. For the second reading, re-read the story without any interuption.

Extensions:

Circle Time:
Discuss that sleep and rest are important for our body to regain its strength. Talk about all the activities mothers do during the day (cleaning, washing dishes, making beds, cooking, driving them to school, etc.). Brainstorm a list of things that they can do to help their mom. Use word wall pictures and interactive reading chart to write and read activities their mothers do.

My mother __________ (for) me. (cooks, cleans, hugs, loves)

My mother loves to relax in her __________. (bathtub, garden, bedroom, chair, bed)

Movement:

Show children picture cards depicting various activities mothers do during the day. Have them act out the activities. When you lift the bathtub signal, ask children to lie down and listen to some relaxing music. Use a little bell or gong to wake them up for the next activity.

Relaxation Activity:
Have children bring a pillow from home. Have children explore and feel the different pillows. Have children lie down on the pillow and listen to some soft music. After the music, let children stretch their bodies. Stretch arms, fingers, legs, etc. Ask children how the music made them feel.

Talk about the different ways we can relax.

Role Play:
In your housekeeping corner let children role-play the story. Make a bathtub out of a large cardboard box and provide items from the story like bathrobe, towels, pajamas, slippers, etc.

Laundry: Set a laundry basket filled with clean clothes on the floor. It could contain facecloths, small socks, etc. Have children fold the items.

Let children hang laundry on a clothesline.

Caring:
Purchase a large quantity of small bandages. Children will love covering dolls' wounds and caring for their sick dolls.

Snack Time:
Talk to children about how we can help our mothers. Explain to children that we can help our mother by making our own snack and cleaning up after ourselves. Let children prepare their own snack. Provide plastic plates, sandwich bread, plastic knifes, jellies, cream cheese, or margarine. In small groups, let children spread their favorite bread spread on their sandwich for their snack.

Water Table:
Let children bathe dolls, wash toys or doll clothes, or play with bath toys in the water table.

Cleaning dishes: Add sponges and dishwashing liquid. Have children wash the plastic dishes in the kitchen area.

Game:

Mom Says (played like Simon says): Children must act out your instructions only if you say "Mom says" at the beginning of your sentence. Examples of actions could be "go to sleep," "take off your shoes," "brush your teeth," "wash your hands," etc. If you do not say "Mom says" first, the children shouldn't move.

Bathtub Coloring Page:
Let children draw their mother taking a bath.

Writing Prompt: With my mother I love to . . .

Make a Mam's Beauty Rest Doorknob Hanger

Make some bath salts or bath soaps for a Mother's Day present. Attach the following poem:

Here's a gift for Mother's Day.
I'll try my best in every way.
But if you get upset with me . . .
Relax and soak!!  Don't you agree?