Mother's Day Video from Kids: Easy Ideas, Real Words, Zero Tears (Mostly)

Kids are the best scriptwriters on Earth for exactly one topic: their mom. Ask a four-year-old how old Mom is and you will get "about 90, or 12". Ask what she does all day and you will learn she "looks at her phone and finds our shoes". That is gold. This page shows you how to catch it and turn it into a Mother's Day video she keeps forever.

Written mostly for the other parent, a grandparent or an older sibling organizing it, because small kids cannot run a camera and should not be trusted with the wrapping paper either.

What is a good Mother's Day video from kids?

A good Mother's Day video from kids is short, in the kids' own words, and a little bit messy. It is not polished; it is honest. One minute of real answers beats five minutes of a rehearsed poem. The goal is to capture how your kids see her right now, at this age, because next year they will say it differently.

The mistakes are the present. Leave them in.

What questions should kids answer in a Mother's Day video?

Ask open, simple questions and do not correct the answers. Record each child alone, so the older one does not steer the younger one. Pick three or four from this list:

• What is Mom's job?
• How old is Mom?
• What is Mom really good at?
• What does Mom always say?
• What makes Mom laugh?
• What is Mom's favorite food?
• If Mom was an animal, what would she be?
• What do you and Mom like doing together?
• What would you give Mom if you could give her anything?
• What do you want to tell Mom today?

Mother's Day video ideas by age

Match the idea to what the kids can actually do. A toddler can say one word. A ten-year-old can write a script and boss everyone around.

• The Mom quiz Kids guess facts about Mom. Wrong answers are the best part. "Mom's favorite sport is folding laundry."
• Three reasons Each child gives one reason Mom is the best. Short, sweet, easy to record in five minutes.
• Mom's catchphrases The kids do their best impression of the things she always says. "Shoes ON. Not near. ON."
• A day in Mom's life, by a six-year-old Let your kid narrate what they think Mom does all day. Turn it into drawn scenes.
• The thank-you list Tiny, specific thank-yous: "for the pancakes shaped like a dinosaur", "for finding my blue sock".
• The bedtime version Your kid reads a simple story they made up about Mom, like a superhero who can find anything in the house.

What can kids say in a Mother's Day video?

If they freeze, give them a starting line and let them finish it. Half-sentences work beautifully because the second half is always a surprise. Here are some to borrow:

• "Happy Mother's Day, Mom. You are the best because..."
• "My favorite thing to do with you is..."
• "Thank you for..."
• "When I grow up, I want to be like you, except..."
• "Mom, you are better than..."
• "I love you more than..." (prepare for "more than pizza", which is a very high rank)

How do you make a Mother's Day video from kids?

Record the kids, pick the best bits, add a short film around them, and give it on the day. The whole thing can be done in an evening after bedtime.

1. Step 1

   Record in secret. One child at a time, a quiet room, a phone. Ask your three questions. Record more than you need.

2. Step 2

   Pick the gems. Listen back and note the three to five best answers. Funny ones first, sweetest one last.

3. Step 3

   Turn it into a film. Put the answers together with drawings, music and her name. A drawn film means nobody needs to be camera-ready.

4. Step 4

   Watch it on the device she will use. Most moms will watch it on a phone, so tall works best.

5. Step 5

   Give it in person. Breakfast in bed plus a phone playing the film is a very strong combination. Tissues optional but advised.

What if Mom lives far away, or it is for Grandma?

The same idea works for grandmothers and for moms who live far away. For a grandma, ask the grandkids what they love doing at her house. For a mom far away, send the film the evening before, so it is waiting when she wakes up. The guide to sending a video card by text covers the file-size and phone bits, and the grandparent video message page has the reverse version, for when Grandma wants to send one back.

Making the film in Nine

Nine is useful here because it can build a short drawn film around your kids' own voices. Upload the voice recording, and the film runs exactly as long as they talk, with their voice as its sound. No photo of anyone is needed: the film is drawn. If you would rather write it down, type the kids' answers as a script, and each paragraph becomes its own scene with a narrator's voice, music and sound effects.

You watch the crew make it, and then change anything by saying it in plain words: "softer music", "make her name bigger", "more flowers". You get a video file in tall, square and wide, and you give it to her yourself. Films up to 20 seconds come with the Film plan at $29 a month, and up to 30 seconds with Film + Transparent. A longer film with every child’s answers needs the Production plan (up to 90 seconds). See pricing. Doing Dad next month? The Father's Day animated card page has ideas made for him, and fun family video project ideas has more rainy-day projects.