There is no doubt that our mums mean the world to us. They are our nurturers, our listeners, our problem solvers, our inspiration and our best friends and this Sunday we get to celebrate these amazing women on their special day. Sure, it will be a little different this year as we all stay home during isolation, but don’t let that stop you from spoiling your mother or mother figure from afar this Mother’s Day. Here are seven wonderful ways to make your mum feel special just like she deserves – without anyone leaving home.

1. Send her a package of her favourite things

Put together a list of items that you know your mum likes and go grab them. Perhaps start with things that she may need from the supermarket like fruit, vegetables or fresh milk and then throw in some goodies for your mum to indulge in, such as her favourite chocolate, cookies or wine. Magazines for light reading are a good addition or you may want to add a book or two if that’s more your mum’s thing. For a nice emotional touch, add some printed photos of the family to the package. It will make mum smile. If you’re lacking time to put something together for mum, go the easier route and send her a big, beautiful bouquet of her favourite flowers. It’s a sure bet to put a smile on your mother’s dial. This can easily be arranged with your local florist.

Whatever you decide, you know your mum best so you’ll know exactly what to send her. Quick tip: try to have the package or flowers arrive early in the morning on your mum’s doorstep so that she can start her day on a high.

2. Surprise her by singing her favourite song

You either thought ‘yay’ or ‘what the’ with this suggestion. This is an easy and memorable way to make mum feel good on Mother’s Day. For this one to work, grab anyone or everyone in your household and get the vocal chords warmed up. Choose one of your mum’s favourite songs and learn the chorus if you don’t know it – or verses too if you really want to impress! Then, grab some props (if applicable to the song of choice), pick up your smartphone and start recording. Begin the video by saying something like “this one’s for you mum!” and sing away with the fam. Take as many clips as you need (we all know it takes a few tries before we get the perfect clip).

Once you and the fam are happy with a take, send it straight to your mum who will laugh instantly (or cry, or cry with laughter). Sending the video early on Mother’s Day morning will set the mood for the day – there’s a fair chance she won’t expect such a treat.

3. Send her an eCard

An easy and effective way to make your mum feel appreciated on Mother’s Day is to send her an eCard filled with heart-felt, warm messages. This is an opportunity to express your love, gratitude and thankfulness for all the wonderful things your mum does for you and the family. Tell her how much she means to you. It will make her feel extra loved on Mother’s Day. Maybe get each family member to send an eCard each. Spread the timing throughout the day so that mum can receive good wishes and kind words all day. See our Facebook page for our Mother’s Day eCard.

4. Have family lunch together

Many Mother’s Day lunches are spent out at restaurants, cafés or at a home with the family. This year, we all need to be a little creative together to make Mother’s Day lunch a reality. Because the good news is, it can be. By using video conferencing technology such as Zoom or Skype on your phone or computer, you can technically still have lunch with mum and the family. Yes, it’s not the same as meeting up in person but the essence of togetherness, celebration and family love will still be there. Plus, your mum will very much appreciate having the family together, even though it’s just through video.

For this to work, each household will need to prepare their own meals, choose their beverages of choice and set up video conferencing. Then, it’s time to go live at the arranged time and there you have it – lunch with mum and the fam. Eat, drink and enjoy the company of your loved ones and don’t forget to make mum the centre of attention!

5. Give her the gift of an online class or two

Mum may be feeling a little bored at home with some time on her hands lately. She may be looking for things to do, something to distract her from her everyday. Now is the time to inspire your mum to try something new. Purchase an online educational class that will teach your mum new skills. Maybe all this time mum has been wanting to learn photography or wondering how to begin writing her first novel. There are hundreds of online classes available. Masterclass, for example, offers over 80 online classes ranging from acting to cooking to everyday sports. With classes starting at beginner level, this could be the gift that motivates your mum to do something she’s always dreamt about but never got to.

6. Host an evening of family trivia

Now that you have your video conferencing sorted, you’re set to bring some evening entertainment to the day’s schedule. For this one, you will need to do some pre-work before the day. Nominate one person to be the host and organiser. This (trusted!) person will put together a list of 20 questions and answers about mum – this can be done with mum or she may want to play along. The Q&As are kept in a hidden space until it’s showtime.

When everyone is ready to go, the host introduces themselves, places everyone in teams and nominates a team captain per team. The team captain will need to have paper and a pen ready. To play, the host reads out each question and each team whispers their answers to their team leader who will write them down. The team with the most correct answers wins the trivia. Simple as that. Decide on a prize for the winning team. Perhaps it could be as simple as who goes over to mum’s place first for mum’s yummy cooking post-isolation.

7. Call her

For some people, it may not be possible to run with any of the above suggestions. A simple phone call to your mum is still a great way to show her how much you care. Maybe call her in the morning to see what she is up to, followed by an evening call to see how her day went. A phone call to mum on Mother’s Day will mean a lot to her, that’s for sure.

With some good planning, creativity and participation from the whole family, you can make some of these ideas a real hit. While it is impossible to replace hugs and kisses on a day like Mother’s Day, mum is still sure to stay smiling if you give her the attention and appreciation she deserves. Go on, make her feel special and loved.