DIY Mother’s Day Silhouette Necklaces

Finding the perfect Mother’s Day gift idea for students to wow mom can be a challenge.  Teachers appreciate the caregivers and want to make sure the children show that appreciation as well.  

Looking through Pinterest for the one gift idea that is unique, personalized to that specific child, and will be treasured by the important female figure can be a little like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Luckily, I have you covered with a last-minute Mother’s Day necklace pendant that any mother (or aunt, grandma, or primary caregiver) would love!

When I was in second grade, I distinctly remember each student taking turns to line up along a wall that had a single piece of white paper taped to it.  

As we took our place, the teacher would have an overhead projector light shining at the wall.  

Our shadow from the light would cast our profile onto the paper (though it usually took some adjusting of the child, the light, and the paper).

Once the profile was successfully shadowed on to the paper, my teacher would quickly tell you not to move a muscle and run over to the paper on the wall to trace the profile with a marker.  Of course, if you moved, everything had to be started again.  

I could tell that my teacher had done this silhouette activity repeatedly over the years because she was pretty quick to capture the template the first time on most.

Even so, after all the white papers had been done, then she took the time to place them over a sheet of black construction paper to cut them out by hand.  

Finally, she then mounted them on a colored piece of construction paper which had a lovely Mother’s Day poem and we signed it.

The entire process was pretty tedious for kids, let alone all the time it must have taken her to prep the final product!  

But I also remember how much my own mom treasured that silhouette picture of me as a young girl.  I would place bets she still has it in a file somewhere.

There is just something about diy mother’s day crafts that mean so much more.  Jewelry, such as necklaces, bracelets, and rings, are always popular choices.  

Toss in children’s names and/or birthstones and you probably have a homerun gift for any mom, whether it be a new first-time mom or a seasoned professional, a grandma, or someone stepping in filling the female role for the child.

As I was reminiscing about that memorable student gift from me that year, I realized that today’s teachers just wouldn’t have the time to devote like mine did many eons ago.  

Perhaps though we could use some updated technology beyond the overhead projector to create something just as special in far less time!

DIY Personalized Mother’s Day Silhouette Necklaces

How fun are these personalized jewelry pieces?  You can create necklaces or bracelets in a fraction of the time.

You can go from snapping digital photos like this…

…to creating a template pendant, complete with fun border like this in about 30 seconds flat!

Using just these simple supplies including Shrinky Dinks and PowerPoint, you can make an entire classroom set into a finished product (including wrapped in gift bags) in just a couple hours!

13 Other DIY Custom Mother’s Day Jewelry Options

Here are 13 other necklace and bracelet crafts you can check out as well:

• Mod Podge “Mother” Necklace: This necklace includes a pendant with a zoomed in image of a dictionary definition of Mother
• DIY Mother’s Day Washer Jewelry Tutorial:

• Photo Charm Bracelet:  Have a bunch of images of your students fro throughout the school year?  This could be a way to repurpose them.
• Thread Wrapped Love Necklace:  Students who are particularly crafty could probably whip up this artsy option themselves!
• Bird’s Nest Pendant Necklace:  Each “egg” symbolizes each child – you could even use birthstone colors for the eggs. {image only}

• Frame Necklace:  Have a short quote from each student for their mom?  Create a hanging pendant with it.
• Handmade Mod Podge Necklaces:  Students can decorate their own version and you can seal them in with the Mod Podge sealant.
• Wooden Letters MOM Necklace:  Pretty much like it sounds.
• Celtic Heart Knot Necklace:  Super pretty, but may be more suitable for older students as it looks a bit complicated with the knotting.
• Message in a Bottle:  Adorable keepsake, though the message will be teeny tiny.
• Birthstone Necklace Tutorial:

• Washer Necklaces:  Inexpensive hardware washers are great for painting and looping a necklace cord through as the final product.
• DIY Photo Charm Necklace: Another way to use up those extra student photos you have from throughout the school year.

How to Raise Funds to Create Your Mother’s Day Gifts

Of course, each option listed above will have a supply cost and that money doesn’t float down from the sky.  If your classroom budget is long gone or nonexistent, there are a few ways in which you can secure the supply costs without it coming out of your pocket.

You will first need to choose your project and know exactly how much the whole class supply cost will be to complete the gifts.  Divide that cost by the number of students and you now know how much the per student supply cost is.

1 – Ask the PTO/PTA if they will fund your project.  If you have this awesome parent organization at your school, you probably already realize how awesome they are in aiding the staff on a regular basis.  Many times, they have mini-scholarships to award to those who simply ask.

2 – Ask parents to send in the extra money for each child to complete the gift.  Even if you don’t get 100% of the responses, hopefully the amount left is fairly minimal.  {And we both know teachers typically don’t let students go without if push comes to shove.}  As long as the project amount comes to $5 or less, most parents would happily send in the cost to cover it, especially if they know “Mom” is getting a special gift as a result.

3 – Ask local companies to sponsor the craft.  A great majority of businesses in your local area have additional charitable donation funds set aside that many times don’t ever get used  because no one asks!  shoot off an email or a snail mail letter (with plenty of time) to a local CEO or President, making sure to include your supply list and what the final project will look like when complete, and see who comes forward to help out.  You just might be surprised!

Finding the just-right Mother’s Day gift from your students to their most precious family members doesn’t have to be challenging.  Small and personal items are something most moms, grandmas, or aunts would be thrilled to receive from their precious little one.

When it comes to Mother’s Day in the classroom, simply consider what you or your own important female (or make) figure would enjoy.  That logic can never go wrong.

Have fun creating and feel free to share you favorite Mother’s Day classroom craft idea with us in the comments as well,

~Charity