Our list of 22 fun and low-cost things to do for Mother’s Day 2013 in New York City includes outdoor activities, special shows, kids’ workshops, and more things to do for the holiday in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens.
Bronx Mother’s Day Events
Mother’s Day at Wave Hill
May 11-12
Wave Hill Public Garden & Cultural Center
Create a unique floral gift for Mom using lavender buds and paper flowers during Family Art Project: Sachets and Floral Fantasy for Mom. Arrive early on May 12 for Birding at Wave Hill on Mother’s Day, open to ages 10 and older.
Mother’s Day Weekend Garden Party
New York Botanical Garden
May 11-12
Enjoy lawn games and live music, have fun flying a kite, and have a picnic among the garden’s spectacular spring blooms. A professional photographer will be on hand to snap pictures for you to take home.
Brooklyn Mother’s Day Events
Learn to Cook Mother’s Day Dinner with Debbie Koenig
Caribou Baby, Williamsburg
May 5
Here’s something for the dads (sort of). In this afternoon class, they can learn to prepare an elegant, deceptively easy three-course meal based on a chapter from Koenig’s book called “Un-Recipes for Partners Who Can’t Cook.” Attendees will receive a signed copy of Koenig’s book, Parents Need to Eat Too).
Brooklyn Public Library, Walt Whitman branch, Fort Greene
May 10
Kids can make a craft or a piece of art to bring home as a gift for their moms.
I Love My Mommy Arts and Crafts Workshop
Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Crown Heights
May 11-12
Absent-minded husbands might forget, but kids always remember Mother’s Day. The Brooklyn Children’s Museum offers I Love My Mommy, an arts and crafts workshop and story hour where toddlers will hear stories about mothers and children before making a card or craft.
Mother’s Day Show with the Trummytones
Littlefield, Gowanus
May 12
The group performs as part of the Hip Tot Music Fest series. The group mixes ska, pop, zydeco, reggae, and other beats with tubas, trombones, accordions, and unconventional sound makers for a good-vibe, high-energy brew that has recently garnered big accolades.
Brooklyn Museum, Prospect Heights
May 12
Enjoy a delicious brunch followed by a Mother’s Day-themed tour featuring exhibits and artwork that celebrates womanhood.
Prospect Park Mother’s Day Duathlon
Prospect Park, Flatbush
May 12
If Mom is feeling athletic, she can enter the Prospect Park Mother’s Day Duathlon. She can choose from three running/biking duathlon races of varying lengths or enter one of the running-only events (5K and 10K distances). All proceeds go to the Prospect Park Alliance. Registration closes May 10; register online.
Manhattan Mother’s Day Events
socialsklz:-), Upper West Side
May 4 or 11
During this one-hour workshop, participants (kids and their parents) will cover mealtime do’s and don’ts, table settings, and then put the new skills to use during a meal tasting.
Skyscraper Museum, Battery Park City
May 11
Attend this architecturally themed Mother’s Day card workshop. Who needs Hallmark when you can make your own card for Mom?
Flowers for Mother in Central Park
Peter Jay Sharp Children’s Glade, Central Park
May 12
Central Park hosts Flowers for Mother, where kids can plant a flowerpot for Mom and listen to “storyteller supreme” Tammy Hall tell a flowery tale. FREE!
World Yacht at Pier 81, Hudson River
May 12
Let the family treat you to a delicious Mother’s Day Brunch Cruise with the New York City skyline as backdrop. You’ll have a private table where you can enjoy the buffet, a complimentary mimosa, and live piano music.
Family Workshop: Mother’s Day Bedazzled Beads
Sony Wonder Technology Lab, Upper East Side
May 12
If the younger members of the family want to make Mom a special gift, head to the Family Workshop: Mother’s Day Bedazzled Beads to make handmade beads out of modeling clay, and then use them to create unique bracelets and necklaces.
Mother’s Day “Mum” Cupcakes Workshop
Taste Buds Kitchen, Chelsea
May 12
Who can say no to cupcakes? Taste Buds Kitchen hosts Mother’s Day “Mum” Cupcakes Workshop, a cooking class in which kids ages 2-8 and their caregivers can make vanilla cupcakes and then decorate them to look like chrysanthemum flowers.
Listen to Your Mother Reading Series
Symphony Space, Upper West Side
May 12
If you’re looking for a Mother’s Day celebratory activity sans kids, the Listen to Your Mother Reading Series is the perfect pick. This national event, featuring more than 200 women in 24 cities, celebrates motherhood by showcasing moving, socially relevant, and hilarious stories about a range of modern mothering experiences, living up to its motto of “giving Mother’s Day a microphone.”
Children’s Workshops at CMA
Children’s Museum of the Arts, Soho
May 12
Kids can join a Redeemable Hugs workshop, in which they’ll create a personalized coupon book full of redeemable hugs to bring home to their moms; the Mom’s Floral Arrangement workshop, in which they’ll make their moms bouquets using tissue paper, construction paper, wire, twine, and more; or An Ode to Mother: Speeches in Poetry, in which participants will pay homage to their moms and other through poems, speeches, and songs.
Mamapalooza Outdoor Extravaganza
Riverside Park South, Upper West Side
May 19
Mamapalooza, a mom-owned and operated “mama-multimedia and events company,” is coming back to New York for its 10th annual concert at Riverside Park South. As part of Summer on the Hudson, the Extravaganza boasts an array of family activities, including music, family services and information. FREE!
Queens Mother’s Day Events
Queens Botanical Garden, Flushing
May 1-6
Looking for a Mother’s Day gift? Choose from a variety of plants and flowers at this spring sale.
Queens Village Library, Queens Village
May 9
Kids can show off their creativity and their love for Mom, by making her a beautiful craft in honor of her special day. FREE!
Douglaston/Little Neck Library, Little Neck
May 10
Children ages 2-5 and their parent/caregiver will listen to stories, sing songs, do fingerplays, and make a special gift for mother or grandmother. Registration is required. FREE!
Design a Mother’s Day Bracelet
Central Library, Jamaica
May 10
Yvette Powell guides children age 8 and older through the process of designing and making a bracelet as a Mother’s Day gift. All materials will be provided, including a gift box in which to take the bracelet home. First come, first served.
Hillcrest Library, Flushing
May 11
Who needs Hallmark when you can make your own Mother’s Day card? Kids can do just that in this drop-in workshop. FREE!
Mother’s Day Weekend Picnic in the Garden
Queens Botanical Garden, Flushing
May 11-12
Pack a brown-bag lunch and enjoy it on the lawns at the Queens Botanical Garden. Afterward, Mom can take a relaxing stroll through the garden.
More Fun
Search for more fun and low-cost family events in the NYC area in our full calendar of events!
