Celebrating Mother's Day calls for creativity, adaptability, and an extra measure of thoughtfulness to ensure safety without sacrificing the warmth and appreciation this day deserves. With traditional gatherings and outings potentially limited, finding meaningful ways to honor the mothers, grandmothers, and maternal figures in our lives becomes an opportunity to connect in new and memorable ways.
This guide offers a collection of thoughtful activity and gift ideas designed to keep everyone safe while creating moments of joy and connection. Whether you're able to be together in person with precautions or celebrating from a distance, these suggestions provide a heartfelt roadmap for showing your love and gratitude.
10 Wonderful Mother’s Day Activity Ideas
1. Share a lovely meal
Even though indoor restaurant dining is still risky, you can still share a special meal with the special woman in your life.
You could order their favorite meal via takeout meal delivery service or if you live with or near them, drop off their favorite homemade dish and maybe some table decor as well.
Then, on Mother’s Day, you could eat together in person if you’re in the same household or eat together virtually via video call or on the telephone together.
2. Say hello from a distance
If you live in the same area, a fun thing to do is to make some big Mother’s Day signs or giant cards and make a festive, but “distanced,” visit to their house.
Stand on their sidewalk, outside their closed window, or in the yard and display your lovely, festive signs. You could call them from your mobile phone to speak with them or simply speak loudly through the window glass.
3. Enjoy nature together
Getting some fresh air feels especially good after a long winter. Sit together on the porch or in front of an open window and just enjoy nature together.
If you’re not in the same household, do this virtually via video call or telephone.
4. Attend a virtual concert or show
Another experience you could enjoy together is to listen to music or attend a virtual concert.
Many musicians, orchestras, and broadway musicals are making shows available online for free.
For a list of virtual live shows, check out our article Coronavirus Virtual Experiences at Home: Animals, Music, Art, World Travel, Museums, Theme Parks.
5. Tour a museum, virtually
Art lovers may enjoy visiting a museum. This year, visit museums around the world and even hop from one museum to another.
Take some of the virtual museum tours we listed in our article Coronavirus Virtual Experiences at Home: Animals, Music, Art, World Travel, Museums, Theme Parks
A good conversation starter is to ask your older adult some open ended questions about what they like best out of what they've seen.
6. Relax with casual activities
Another relaxing way to spend time together, virtually or in person, is to watch a favorite movie or TV show.
Many major TV stations like ABC, NBC, and CBS offer full episodes of their shows for free on their websites and through their apps.
You could also do a jigsaw puzzle, sudoku, or crossword puzzle together. If you’re not in the same household, it doesn’t have to be the same puzzle. The goal is to enjoy an activity together.
7. Watch their favorite sports together
A sports fan would love to have company while they watch an exciting game.
A fun way to watch a game from the safety of home is to catch a replay of a game.
Signing in with your cable TV account gives you access to past games available on popular online sites like ESPN.com.
Or, use a subscription site like NBC Sports to watch a wide variety of sports. A subscription to a sports streaming service could also be a great gift for a sports enthusiast!
8. Bake or cook together
If you’re living in the same household, you could bake cookies or cook a favorite dish together.
Depending on their abilities and interests, they could work side-by-side with you, prep a few simple ingredients, or observe and be your taste tester.
9. Relax with music
Another activity that can be enjoyed in person or via video call or phone is listening to music together.
If you both play the same song, you can listen or even sing along together.
10. Read a book together
Whether in person or on a call, you can read aloud from a book of their choice.
Download a variety of books online for free through your local library’s online services, buy Amazon Kindle e-books, or get free e-books from Project Gutenberg.
5 Thoughtful Mother’s Day Gift Ideas
1. Send a heartfelt card or letter
Sending a card or letter with a thoughtful message is always an intelligent way to show how much you care and that they’re on your mind.
2. Send flowers
Support local flower shops by calling to find out about their Mother’s Day delivery options.
Or, use an online flower delivery service:
For a fuss-free, low-maintenance gift, send some beautiful faux flowers like these.
3. Gift a device that makes video calling easy
It can be tough for a non-tech-savvy person to make or receive video calls.
To make it easier for your older adult to see you virtually more often, consider gifting them a video calling device and handling the setup ahead of time.
Whether or not they have dementia, we share many helpful tips in our article Best Way to Make Video Calls to Seniors with Alzheimer’s or Dementia in Nursing Homes.
These devices need to be set up to connect to a Wi-Fi network, so if possible, ask someone in their household to help with the setup.
Devices that make video calling easier for seniors include:
- Amazon Echo Show – It’s like an Alexa personal assistant with a video screen. You can also enable a “drop-in” feature between two devices that allows you to make video calls without your older adult needing to accept the call. You’ll appear on the screen and be able to speak with them.
- GrandPad – A simple, secure tablet that’s designed to make it easy to video chat with family and friends.
- ViewClix – A smart picture frame with an auto-answer mode so the older adult doesn’t need to do anything to receive a video call.
- Facebook Portal: It has Alexa built in and a “smart” camera that follows the user as they move around the room.
4. Give gift cards for favorite services
Treat them to a great meal by giving a gift certificate to a restaurant they love (with delivery) or to an online store.
Grocery delivery services have been essential for many seniors this past year. A gift card to a local delivery service makes a wonderful gift.
Grocery delivery is available from a variety of stores, including:
5. Create a custom photo album, calendar, blanket, or puzzle
With a custom photo album, you can showcase special photos or events so your older adult can reminisce anytime.
For people with Alzheimer’s or dementia, you could even create a custom book they’ll love to read by adding simple text to photos or images they enjoy.
- Walmart – from $5
- Walgreens – from $10
- Shutterfly – from $20
Create a custom photo calendar to help your older adult track days, months, and appointments while seeing smiling family faces.
- Walmart – from $7
- Walgreens – from $10
- Shutterfly – from $23
A custom photo blanket will keep your older adult warm and cozy with familiar faces all around. These photo blankets are especially nice for people with Alzheimer’s or dementia.
- Walmart – from $45
- Shutterfly – from $60
A custom photo puzzle uses a family photo or a picture with special meaning to create a fun puzzle your older adult can assemble again and again.
- Shutterfly – from $33, variety of photo layouts
- Portrait Puzzles – from $35, comes in a variety of sizes & number of pieces
Next Steps: Get more gift ideas in the article 50+ Mother’s Day Gifts She’ll Love
Final Thoughts About Mother's Day Gifts for Seniors
The most cherished Mother's Day gifts are often those that reflect genuine care. Whether it's a shared virtual experience, a handcrafted present, or the simple gift of your undivided attention and gratitude. Prioritizing health and safety doesn't mean forgoing celebration; it means finding creative, personal ways to express love.
This Mother's Day, let these ideas inspire you to create a meaningful and memorable day that honors the special women in your life with creativity, warmth, and an abundance of love, building connections that will be treasured long after this challenging time has passed.
Recommended for you:
- Best Way to Make Video Calls to Seniors with Alzheimer’s or Dementia in Nursing Homes
- 8 Shelter-in-Place Coronavirus Tips for Senior Care in Your Home
- Nursing Home Lockdown: 6 Ways to Stay Connected with Seniors During a Coronavirus Scare
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About the Author
Connie is the founder of DailyCaring.com and was a hands-on caregiver for her grandmother for 20 years. (Grandma made it to 101 years old!) She knows how challenging, overwhelming, and all-consuming caring for an older adult can be. She also understands the importance of support, especially in the form of practical solutions, valuable resources, and self-care tips.
Very good ideas of mother’s day celebration during coronavirus. And I am happy to read about the ideas of various activities and mother’s day gift. Thanks for sharing…
We’re so glad these suggestions are helpful!
Thank you so much for your thoughtful tips. As a caregiver i don’t feel so alone.
You’re very welcome Barbara! We’re so glad these suggestions are helpful. You’re definitely not alone in this ❤️