57 Small, Nice Things to Do on Mother’s Day For Your Wife

Mother’s Day gives you a defined time to refocus on the person with whom you share your life and your children. Yes, yes doing something nice should be an everyday affair. Small gestures that demonstrate your love and appreciation aren’t difficult to make and they don’t take much time. But, when caught in the hustle of life with kids, it’s easy to forget sometimes to express appreciation, tell them I love you, or that they’re so good at being a mom.

So the question is, “What to do on Mother’s Day?” Well, Mother’s Day means different things to different moms ⏤ some enjoy quality time as a family; others desperately want to escape their family and feel like their old self for a moment. The good news is that there is no shortage of things to do on Mother’s Day to make mom feel special, appreciated, and loved. Here are 57 small, simple to get you started.

1. Help your children write a heartfelt (or silly) rhyming poem. Frame it.
2. Throw a family picnic in the backyard Get a baguette, some nice cheeses, maybe some olives. Definitely wine. Make it all about mom.
3. Fix that thing in the house you’ve been saying you’d fix.
4. Surprise them by dressing the kids up in their nice clothes; also handle the removal of said nice clothes when they’re covered in food, poop, or both.
5. Get mom a nice card. Sit down and spend some time writing a note inside.
6. Take the kids so she can sleep in without interruption. Leave a thermos full of coffee on their nightstand. Or, better yet, a tall mimosa.
7. Spend the morning making Mother’s Day crafts with the kids. Not only does she get something nice, but it also gives mom some coveted alone time.
8. Clean out/vacuum mom’s car and the car seats. Remove all of the kids’ stuff. All of it, dammit.
9. Help the kids make mom breakfast. Film part of it so she can enjoy their (very messy) efforts while she eats. Don’t serve it in bed. Unless she enjoys sleeping in a big napkin.
10. Get up early with the baby.
11. Give mom flowers. Mums are nice. Lilies, too. Get fancy and find some ranunculi. Anything but roses. Unless she loves roses.
12. Schedule a Zoom dinner with family and friends.
13. Stick random ‘thank you’ notes around the house acknowledging all the things she does ⏤ either from you or the kids. For example: ‘Thanks for making my lunch, mom!’ goes in the lunchbox, or “I love clean clothes. Thanks for doing my laundry!” goes in the kids’ dresser drawer.
14. Warm up a towel, robe, or slippers in the dryer. That way mom will have something cozy to slip into when she first wakes up
15. Text: “Thinking of you” at some point during the day. Follow it up an hour later with a funny aubergine-peach emoji combo or something if sexting is your thing.
16. Make some quick brownies. Except make them in a muffin tin. That way, every piece is an edge piece.
17. Take a walk together around the neighborhood after the kids are asleep. Hold her hand.
18. Set a price range and make a dumb impulse buy together.
19. Give her control of every media system for the entire day.
20. Have the kids tell her exactly why they think she’s a great mom. Coach them. Coax out specifics.
21. Clean the whole house. On Saturday. That way she has an entire day to not worry about what needs to get done.
22. Send them out on a run, or schedule an online fitness class. Give her time anywhere without the kids so she can feel like her old self for an hour or two.
23. Make some PokéMOM cards for her with the kids. Each one should have a picture of your wife and a special skill she possesses that you and your kids love.
24. Find her shopping list, to-do list, or Google calendar and add silly, romantic things to it.
25. Buy her a bottle of her favorite booze. Give it to her from the kids.
26. Set up a mom party. Invite her best friends over via Zoom for drinks. Celebrate all the moms.
27. Get your kids ‘best mom’ t-shirts. They’re cheesy, sure. But cheesy works.
28. Pedicure. Pedicure. Pedicure. Make sure she gets one.
29. Print out lots and lots and lots of mom pictures. Hand them over or stick them around the house.
30. Ask her what she wants to do. Listen. Don’t complain when she answers.
31. Splice together all those silly movie clips of her and the kids that are sitting on your phone.
32. Print out all the family photos she has on her phone but hasn’t had time to organize.
33. Use the kids’ art supplies to make something for her, even if you suck at arts and crafts. Could be a poem, painting, song, drawing. Whatever it is, just make it heartfelt.
34. Just tell her about a random time she blew you away as a mother. Could be how she calmed the kid down during an epic tantrum. Could be about how she did all the packing, for the whole family, before your vacation. Be specific.
35. Call your mother-in-law and wish her a Happy Mother’s Day. Your wife will appreciate this, especially if you and her mom hate each other.
36. Two words: Spa. Day. Or at least “nice tub” day. Get those bath bombs and fancy soaps. Get it ready. Guide her to it.
37. Spend a little too much money on something she doesn’t need but will love.
38. Take a funny photo of you and the kids. Secretly make it the background on her phone.
39. Get her a pair of dope slippers.
40. Break out some old photos of the days you brought your kids home and wax nostalgic about how new everything was then. Indulge in some sweet memories. Reminisce. Make her laugh.
41. Foot massage. Neck massage. Back massage. Whichever is her spot, take care of it.
42. Take a family bike ride.
43. Teach the kids to sing a classic love song she likes.
44. Speaking of gardens: Start her one with fresh herbs — even if said garden is just a large flower box. Plant some rosemary, thyme, and basil.
45. Order in a bunch of her favorite foods from the various restaurants she loves.
46. Do a face mask with her. Get your cuticles trimmed.
47. Make her any meal with care. Does she love sandwiches? Make the best friggin’ sandwich you can.
48. Go on a family hike.
49. Send her a letter in the mail. Use a real stamp.
50. Buy some fancy coffee to brew.
51. Or, better yet, learn how to make her favorite coffee shop drink from scratch. Yes, even if it’s some sugar-loaded concoction you loathe.
52. Take out the trash. Feels like a weird thing, but it’s hard to have a special day when garbage is just laying around. Also, tidy up a bit. It makes a world of difference when it’s time for the big romantic gesture.
53. Tell her she’s sexy. Seriously, even on Mother’s Day, tell her you want her.
54. Instead of buying flowers, buy her plants (or succulents). Plant them in the yard, then surprise her with the result.
55. Change every diaper or wipe every toddler butt for the entire day.
56. Leave her a love note that says you’re lucky to have her as the mother of your children.
57. Find the time to tell her she’s a wonderful mom and that your family wouldn’t be anything without her.