I remember my first Mother's Day as a brand new teacher. I was in a lower-income school and I can remember eagerly planning a super-crafty project, with glue and glitter and a beautiful card titled “Why I love my Mom” (or something of the like).
I waltzed in before Mother’s Day, and gathered up the kids to introduce the project, expecting them to be as excited as I was.
However, instead of unbridled excitement, I was met with questions and comments like:
“What about my Stepmom, can I make something for her?”
“I only have a Foster mom, what do I do?”
“I live with my auntie.”
“I don’t have a mom, she died last year.”
What a sobering moment.
Needless to say, that was a pretty big disaster.
In my rush to prepare a “cute and fun” craft project, I had completely forgotten to plan for all of the reasons why Mother’s Day can be such a hard day for so many students.
But I let it be a “teachable moment” for myself. I learned from my mistake, and made sure to think through possible difficult situations before I planned another lesson.
This year, we are doing Mother’s Day Flip Books
Our easy Mother's Day Flip Books
We are drawing our Mom, writing adjectives to describe her, filling in the blanks about her favourite things (fingers crossed that it ends up being something cute or memorable!) and writing her a short letter.
But this project won’t just be for Moms.
In an effort to avoid one of my worst “flops” ever, I’ve made it specifically for Stepmom’s…
And another version that is great for any special friend.
I know that some of my little ones don’t have a Mom, but they do have a mentor, an aunt, or even a family friend who would love to receive something on Mother’s Day.
How do you make sure that you are accounting for all types of families on days like Mothers or Father’s Day?
Do you do anything special in your classroom to honour different types of men and women?
I’d love to hear your ideas!
- Rachel
