14 Ways to celebrate Mothers Day in England -

Being a mother is hard work. Mothers are nurses, teachers, cooks, counselor’s, role models and sometimes a shoulder to cry on. It is important to honour our mothers on Mothering Sunday. It is too easy to take them for granted. If you feel like your mother deserves a fabulous day of praise and pampering here are 10 ways to celebrate Mothering Sunday in England.

Origins of Mothering Sunday in England

Here in England, we celebrate Mothering Sunday on the fourth Sunday of Lent. In the past, children as young as 10 years old would be expected to go to work. Mothering Sunday was a day they could go home and see their mothers. Traditionally they would pick flowers for their Mothers and they would eat simnel cake.

As Easter is a moveable feast, so is Mothering Sunday. For Christians who have given up something for Lent, Mothering Sunday is a time to break their Lenten observances. This means that if they have given up chocolate and wine, they can have it on Mothering Sunday.

Teaching your child to celebrate Mothering Sunday

It is good to teach children to be grateful to those who help and care for them. It will help them to be thoughtful of others. So even when you are being served breakfast in bed on Mothering Sunday, you are still teaching your child valuable life lessons.

However, call me cynical, but I don’t think children will go out of their way to make their mum a card or buy a present without some encouragement from other members of the family. This is especially true for younger children who don’t know what they can do for their mums on Mothering Sunday. They tend to rely on their dad’s to help. I remember when Sops was 4 years old and she tried to make gingerbread for her dad on Father’s Day, whilst I was at work. She had broken the eggs completely in the bowl and randomly added the flour and sugar without measuring it. It was cute and thoughtful and very messy! Poor guy had to clean up after the mess on Father’s Day! So if you want ideas on how to thank your mum for being so awesome then look below. Just please ask another adult in the family to help you. (Sops bought my present this year by “borrowing” my credit card. Gulp)

Prepare to Celebrate Mothering Sunday

Firstly, find out your mum’s love language. There are 5 different ways to express and receive love. If you know your mum’s love language, you’ll know the best way to show her how much you love her. Take the test here.

For gift ideas for your mother, check out our post on how to give the perfect gift according to personality types.

Book things in advance

Restaurants get overbooked on Mothering Sunday and so do other activities. You may need to book in advance to ensure your mother can enjoy the day with no disappointments.

Read on for more activity ideas to do on Mothering Sunday

Free things to do to celebrate Mothering Sunday in England

Go for a walk with your mum. Don’t check your phone whilst walking. Just listen to her. Reminisce the old times and admire nature. If your mum’s love language is ‘Quality time’, then she will appreciate this gesture more than a bunch of daffodils on Mothering Sunday.
Make your mum breakfast in bed. Put away your clothes and clean her car. If your mum’s love language is ‘Acts of Service’ then the ‘small things’ she nags you to do may also be a cry for love from you.
Write a beautiful poem about how much you love your mum and why. Make it really personal to her. Should your mum’s love language be ‘Words of Encouragement’, she’ll probably gush all over it.
Give your mum a nice long hug. Or have a little dance with her. Curl up and watch a movie together under a weighted blanket. Your mum will really appreciate it, if her love language is ‘Physical Touch’.
Make your mum a gift, or put oodles of thought into a gift you buy for her. Make it personal like a personalised Photo Album or a mug with her name on it. Take into consideration what she likes. The more thought you put into it the more your mum will feel loved by you, especially if her love language is ‘Gift Giving’.
Go to church. If your mum is a Christian then go to church with her without complaining. Churches in England tend to do a lot for mothers on Mothering Sunday. Your mother will probably come home with a bunch of daffodils and it didn’t cost you a thing.
Movie Night. Get the popcorn out and enjoy a wonderful movie together celebrating the glories of motherhood. For ideas on what marvellous motherhood movies are available read our blog Mother’s Day Movies to Watch as a Family.

Unique ways to celebrate Mothering Sunday in England

You may need to dig a bit deeper into your pockets to pay for these activities, but your mother will appreciate it and treasure the effort you have made.

NB: We have an affiliate with Red Letter Days. This means Sops and I may get a small commission from any purchase you have made. We have used Red Letter Days in the past and the great thing is you can book the activity at your own convenience. For more information read our Affiliate marketing disclaimer here.

Book a spa day. Mothers love spa days. It’s wonderful to relax in a spa, enjoy a massage or facial and maybe have a sneaky glass of bubbly. Many children book Spa Days for their mums on Mothering Sunday, so if you want your mother to have her spa day on Mothering Sunday, you’ll have to book it early. However, if your mum is a bit of an introvert she may not want to go during one of the busiest days of the year. You may want to host a mini spa day at home and give her a spa voucher to use when she wants.
Drive a supercar. Is your mother an insatiable petrolhead? How would she fancy speeding around a track at breakneck speeds in a supercar? If you think your adrenaline junkie of a mother would be thrilled with this gift then head over to Red Letter Days to book an experience of a lifetime.

Paint Pottery. Is your mother an artist? Perhaps she would love to spend an afternoon painting a piece of pottery with you. Sops and I have done this before and we treasure our artwork to this day. Sops’ piece is better than mine. There are lots of pottery painting workshops throughout England. We recommend Dotty Pottery in Norwich, Norfolk.
Afternoon Tea. There is nothing more quintessentially English than enjoying a lovely afternoon tea with cucumber sandwiches cut into delicate little triangles and petite cakes. This is another experience that you can either book in advance for Mothering Sunday or you could have a little afternoon tea at home with your mother and give her the voucher to enjoy in the summer.
Theatre Experience Does your mother simply adore the theatre, as any lovely would? If so, this is the perfect gift for her. She can choose from a selection of Westend shows including comedy shows, musicals and Westend hits.

Send in the flowers Unless your mother suffers terrible hayfever, flowers are a common well-loved gift for Mothering Sunday. You can also add other gifts such as chocolate and wine, which your mother can enjoy on Mothering Sunday, even if it is Lent.
Meal Out Unless you are a chef and can masterfully put together a wonderful meal at home, (so your mother doesn’t have to cook), you may want to take her out for a meal. Just remember to book early as many other families will want to take their mums on Mothering Sunday and it may be hard to get a table.

For more gift ideas to give your mum this Mothering Sunday check out our post ‘Perfect Gifts for Mothering Sunday.’

How are you celebrating?

So how are you going to celebrate Mothering Sunday this year? This year we will cook a meal together and probably play some games. I wonder if I can persuade Sophia to play Disney Monopoly again? But that may end up in tears and tantrums (Monopoly does that to people). Do let us know how you will celebrate Mothering Sunday in the comments box below.