A day on the ice may be the way to warm a mother’s heart.

It’s Mother’s Day.

You forgot to buy a card.

You woke up too late to prepare her breakfast in bed.

How do you prove that you’re not a worthless ingrate?

A cool suggestion: Take her ice-skating.

This Sunday, mothers who buy a ticket for their children can skate free at the Ice Capades Chalet, a rink ensconced in the sleek Courtyard Mall in Rolling Hills Estates.

Ice Capades is one of two ice-skating rinks in the South Bay. In addition to public skating sessions, it provides lessons, performances by figure-skating and precision-skating classes, theme nights and fashion shows.

Olympic Ice Arena in Harbor City offers a larger skating area. Its program is geared toward hockey and private lessons. There are also open skating sessions, but not on Sunday. The 28-year-old rink has a restaurant and a bar, both with appropriate names: “The Silver Skates Restaurant” and “The Penalty Box Lounge.”

Kevin Phillips, manager of the Olympic, said business was especially heavy this winter, peaking after the Winter Olympics in March showcased the figure-skating duels between medalists Katerina Witt and Debi Thomas. But skating will decline through the summer, he said.

“It’s very seasonal,” he said. “Kids would rather go to the beach. I can understand that.”

Nevertheless, true enthusiasts are attracted to the year-round rinks by the prospect of less crowded ice in the summer, Phillips said. Some parents prefer to merely watch through the restaurant windows as their children brave the ice.

At Ice Capades, students soon will be preparing for an end-of-the-summer ice show, said skating school Director Shirley Alexander. The rink is owned by the International Broadcasting Co., which also owns the Ice Capades skating revue that performs around the country.

A series of events planned at the Ice Capades rink will include a snowball toss and snowman building contest (with snow manufactured in-house), as well as a “Beach Party Week” to celebrate the end of school in June. Manager Darren Rozas said he focuses on providing entertainment and recreation for preteens.

The rinks reserve time for hockey leagues, private lessons, group classes and special events, so it’s wise to call first and make sure the rink is open before you go.