Mothers and children spent the morning bonding through games, exercise, and arts and crafts during a Mother’s Day celebration at Crawford International Lonehill Pre-primary School on May 8.

The event included football activities, pilates, aerobic exercises, and creative classroom sessions aimed at celebrating mothers and mother figures.

Teacher Kitty Chen said the day was all about creating meaningful moments for families. “We had lots of fun. We had Little Kickers, the moms and the children kicked around some balls amongst others.”

Read more: Daily Bread celebrates Mother’s Day with mothers from underprivileged communities

The celebrations also moved into the classrooms, where children worked alongside their moms to create personalised bookmarks.

“We had arts and crafts in the classes, and our kids created bookmarks with their moms, just to also encourage the love of reading.”

Chen said the event was made inclusive for children who may not have their mothers present by focusing on ‘special people and motherly figures’ in their lives.

@caxtonjoburgnorth Watch: Kitty Chen, a teacher, speaks about how Crawford International Lonehill Pre-primary School planned its Mother’s Day celebration and why it is important to honour mothers and mother figures. Video: Ditiro Masuku #Fourways #Mothersday ♬ original sound – Caxton Joburg North

“It’s very much targeted at moms and special people and motherly figures so that no one is left feeling alone.” She described mothers as children’s ‘first teachers’ and said days like these are always meaningful for families.

“I think moms are basically your first teacher and they’re your number one hero, so I think it’s very important to celebrate moms and Mother’s Day.”

Also read: Joburg Zoo honours mothers this Mother’s Day

One of the highlights of the day was a lively football activity led by Hlulani Mashaba from Little Kickers, where mothers became goalkeepers while the children tried to score penalties.

“The moms were active, the kids were happy, some were scoring, some were not scoring, but overall, we had so much fun.”

Mashaba also reflected on what Mother’s Day means to him personally. He shared that he hoped to celebrate the day quietly with his family despite recent challenges.

He also spoke about one lesson his mother taught him that still guides him today. “My mom taught me to be patient. Everything will come in God’s time, and don’t rush anything because if you rush it, it doesn’t have value anymore.”

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