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40 Best Mother’s Day Games Perfect for a Day Full of Family Fun

Make the day even more special with these easy (and mostly free!) ideas.

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Mother's Day celebrations come in all shapes and sizes, from fanciful brunches to casual get-togethers. But one thing's for sure. No matter how you celebrate, this Mom-centric holiday is all about spending quality time together. And if you're looking for a great family-friendly way to spend the day, look no further than this list of 40 Mother's Day games that are perfect for the whole family. From charades and karaoke to personalized crosswords and bouquet-making, these games offer a little friendly competition. Up the ante with prizes for the winner. But it's not necessary. Celebrating Mother's Day together is a prize in itself, and it might be one of the best gifts she gets all year.

1

Freeze Dance

mother's day games freeze dance
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Make a playlist full of mom's favorite tunes and play a good ol' fashioned game of freeze dance. When the music stops, you stop!

2

Name that Tune

mother's day games listening to music
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Now that you have a playlist of mom's favorite songs, you can play a round of name that tune. Play the first ten seconds of a song and try to guess it.

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3

Best Bouqet Contest

mother's day games
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Everyone loves to give mom flowers. But what about making your own bouquet? Grab a few packages from your local store along with vases and let everyone create their own perfect Mother's Day bouquet. The winner gets a special prize, and of course, mom gets to take all the flowers home.

4

Telephone

mother's day games telephone
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Play a few rounds of telephone, and see how close the last message is to the original. It's bound to get the gang laughing.

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5

Name Game

mother's day games name game
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What is mom's real name? Try to spell as many words as you can from the letters in mom's name. Whoever comes up with the most wins!

6

Create Your Own Crossword

mother's day games crosswords
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Does the mom in your life enjoy crosswords? Tons of sites allow you to make your own crossword for free. Fill it with some interesting mom and family facts to celebrate the day.

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7

Fashion Show

mother's day games fashion show
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Have the kids recreate some of mom's favorite looks from gym day to a night out on the town, and put on a fashion show for the family. And don't forget the high heels!

8

Create a Masterpiece

mother's day games portrait drawing
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Gather around the table and place Mom at the head. Pass out the paints, markers, or crayons and have each member of the family create a Mother's Day-worthy portrait of mom. She's truly an inspiration!

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9

What's In Mom's Purse

mother's day games what's in mom's purse
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Moms are prepared for any situation and usually have what you need right in their purses. Little ones will love guessing what mommy has in their purse. Start a list of everyday items that people have in their purses, throw in some more specialized items (pink pen, eraser, toy, etc.) , and see how many you can find.

10

Leave Mom Alone Game

mother talking to son while relaxing on sofa
Portra

Yes, you read that right. Turn giving mom some much-deserved rest and relaxation into a game. Each kid — and heck, get your spouse in on it — start the day off with 20 points. Every time someone asks mom an unnecessary question, they lose a point.

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11

Cook Off

mother daughter and son preparing spaghetti and vegetables for lunch over a cutting board
miniseries

What siblings don't love a bit of competition? See who knows mom's tastebuds best by setting out her favorite ingredients and seeing who can come up with the most delicious dish.

12

Balloon Stomp

kids playing with balloons
Igor Emmerich

All you need for this energetic game is some string or rope and a few balloons. Each player gets a blown-up balloon attached to them via a long piece of string or rope. When someone yells go, players run around trying to stomp on players' balloons while keeping their own intact. The last one left with their balloon unpopped wins!

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13

Breakfast-in-bed Relay Race

daughter with breakfast for mother in bedroom
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Spending Mother's Day with a large group of people? The breakfast-in-bed relay is a great way to get everyone involved. Put the kids in one group and the parents in another. Designate an area in the house as the start line and label that area as "the bed." At the other end of the course, there will be items like plates, coffee cups, bowls, and utensils. Once each team has a serving tray, players will race to the end of the course, pick up one of the items laid out, and race back while balancing it on the tray and placing it in the bed area. The first team to fully serve "breakfast in bed" wins!

14

Fishbowl

multi generation family sitting on sofa at home playing charades
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Although charades is an easier game to play with little kids, Fishbowl is a great option when you throw in some teens and young adults. Write down Mom's favorite movies, TV shows, celebrities, activities and more. Once you throw all the slips of paper into a bowl, split into two teams. The two teams will battle against one another for three rounds. In the first round, one player from each team has a minute to give clues by describing the word or phrase. If their team guesses correctly, they keep pulling out slips of paper until time runs out. In the second round, players can only offer a one-word clue. And finally, for the third round, no talking is allowed, and you have to act out your word or phrase. Count up all your points and see which team ultimately dominates.

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15

Presents Hide and Seek

mother and daughters playing hide and seek in a closet
Klaus Vedfelt

The hide and seek is for the kids, but the presents — that's for mom. Have each kid hide with their present so that mom gets two lovely things when she finds each of her young ones. If you don't want to use gifts, have kids hide with a different flower each round. After multiple turns, she'll have a stunning bouquet.

RELATED: Mother's Day Flower Delivery Services That'll Ensure Mom Gets Her Flowers on Time

16

Makeover Contest

mother and daughter playing with makeup
Giulio Fornasar

With this fun contest, Mom gets pampered and the siblings can see who has the best makeup skills. Take photos of the final results, and mom will have pictures to treasure for years to come.

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17

Mother, May I?

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This game puts your memory skills to the test all day long. Anytime someone has to ask mom a question, they must say, "Mother, may I?" before doing anything, even if it's something as small as brushing their teeth or getting a glass of water. If you forget to say it, you're out.

18

Picture Hunt

three generations of women looking at photo album
LWA

Picture hunts are a great way to look back on old photos that have been stored away in scrapbooks for years. Create a list of photos of your mom you have to find, like "mom wearing a party hat" or "mom on vacation" and see how many photos of her you can find. You won't believe the laughs and fun stories that come out of this game.

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19

Painting Trade-off

mother and daughter draw on a piece of colored paper
LEREXIS

Break out the brushes, paints, crayons and other art supplies. Mom starts her own artwork, then passes it on to the kids for them to continue adding to it. At the end, she has some lovely new art to show off on the fridge.

20

Mother's Day Riddles

Mother's Day Riddles
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An easy printable that combines our two favorite things: riddles and puns! Set a timer and see who can finish the sheet in the quickest amount of time — although, since it's Mother's Day, maybe give first prize to mom regardless.

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Alesandra Dubin
Freelance Writer

Alesandra is a digital travel and lifestyle journalist based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in Good Housekeeping, Woman’s Day, Prevention, Insider, Glamour, Shondaland, AFAR, Parents, TODAY, and countless other online and print outlets. Alesandra has a masters degree in journalism with an emphasis on cultural reporting and criticism from NYU, and a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley. An avid traveler, she trots the globe with her husband and their twins.

Headshot of Annie O'Sullivan
As a member of the Special Projects Team, Annie works with the GH Tested program writing up product reviews and roundups and helps plan and run annual expos and events like the GH Parenting Summit, Xmas in July Expo, Cleaning Summit, Winter Essentials Expo, and more. When she’s not working, she can be found running, listening to true crime podcasts, designing graphic collages, or sipping on a margarita.
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