15+ Easy Ideas to Show Love to Your Kids

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Valetine's Day heart banner
 
I adore this holiday with my kids. It’s low pressure, it’s fun for all, and it’s all about expressing love. By the end of the month, my heart is bursting with gratitude (and I notice how greatly it affects them, too).
 
So here are some things I do to shower my little munchkins with love on Valentine’s Day! As you scroll through and consider your Valentine’s Day game plan, I think it works well to consider: How best does my child feel loved? If it won’t touch their hearts, don’t do it (even if it’s Pinterest-worthy or perfect for a cool social media post). I think we get defeated when we try to do it all, so don’t try to do it all! Think about what encourages YOUR child.
 
  1. On February 1, I begin writing one thing I love about them on their doors per day. At the top it says, “You are . . . .” I’ve used sticky notes daily or a big sheet that I just fill in. Whatever works! I do mess up and forget, and then I have to play catch up. But my daughter doesn’t let too many days go by without asking! My kids adore this tradition and BEAM when they read their word of the day.
  2. I make desserts they love. This one is kind of obvious. And it’s hard to want to do it because they probably receive candy at school! But I think it’s special. It’s not a birthday cake, so you can be creative and bake something custom made for their pallets.
  3. We journal back and forth. We actually do this all of the time because it was a game changer. This fills my daughter’s bucket! I write a note to her and put it on her bedside, and then she writes me back (all in the same journal). My son has just started, and he also likes it but wants to draw mostly (which is also great). What makes this successful I think is making a big deal about it when you see it on your bedside. They are love notes!
  4. I’ll buy a cheap stuffed animal. I mean, what IS it about those things?! Kids go crazy over them, so I just bite the bullet and add another small one to our ever-growing collection.
  5. I give them “mommy time.” I leave the phone in another room and get into the things they’re playing with. It’s so fun to let the lead the play. Time and attention – that’s all this one is about, and it means the world to my kids.
  6. We hug. I have one kiddo who loves bear hugs and another who has had to conquer a bit of a touch aversion. I used to shy away from too much touch with the one who didn’t want it, but I learned through occupational therapy not to do that. So, we do a 20-second hug! Right after school, right before bed, whenever! My child knows what to expect and that it’ll be released at a predictable amount of time. I can sense her stress melting away. We also scratch backs, play with hair, snuggle with a book, and wrestle. However each child prefers touch that’s how we do it!
  7. We make Valentines for friends and extended family members, which ends up meaning that we make them for each other, too. “Don’t look, Mommy!” How cute. They melt my heart.
  8. We decorate. Cheap heart items end up on our tables, and it’s even better when they’re homemade!
  9. Breakfast for dinner! This includes heart shaped pancakes and hot cocoa. I don’t go much further than that because I’m honestly not very good at cutesy food stuff. But this is a hit for a little date night. If I add on family movie night or family game night, their love buckets are certainly full!
  10. I sing them songs. I’ve tried to give each of my kids songs that are “ours.” Then I randomly play them on Alexa or sing them at bedtime. I love that their songs are unique to them, and we usually dance together. It makes us all happy!
  11. I make a cheap photo book. This can be stressful or it can be easy. I have gotten wise with age and now choose the easy route. Instead of trying to make it perfect, I just tell myself that I want to have some printed photos for them of different ages. And then I print it. Low key, no pressure for perfection, and no decorations on the pages. If I want, when I receive the photo book, I use a fine print sharpie to write captions, which I think will be cool for them in the future because it’s my handwriting. (Personally, I love my Mama’s handwriting.) Done! 
  12. Another fun one is s’mores and a fire. Whether that is with a fire pit outside, around a fireplace inside, or a fire streaming on the TV with music, aromas going, and a handy-dandy microwave, they will NOT notice the difference – nor will they care.
  13. We may go to the park this year and call it our Heart Day Adventure. Kids, want to draw hearts in the wood chips with big sticks? Maybe we will take some red and pink play doh to work on heart sculptures at the picnic table. I mean, a playground is every child’s dream, am I right? Sticking with what works!
  14. A coupon book for them just seems so adorable. How much this would touch the heart of a child whose love language is acts of service!? (“One extra read-aloud of my choice” or “20 minutes of free drawing with Mommy.”)
  15. This year I’m adding a jar of self affirming statements, and they can draw one every night at the dinner table. Think fortune cookie slips of paper without the cookie. In the past, I’ve just googled self affirmations for children and found documents I can print and then cut out into tiny slips of paper, but you could also just work from scratch pretty easily. (“I am powerful and can do many things well,” or “I’m fun to be around!”)
This is all about personalization. Craft, if that’s you! Have a “Red Slush-from-Sonic” day to commemorate your love for them. Do only the items you want to do, or it won’t be any fun for anybody. And spending time on things your kids don’t care about also seems pointless. Their perception is everything, so as long as you MAKE it seem special, it WILL seem special. I’m keeping my eyes on the prize: Filling up their little hearts with love, regardless of what I think I should be doing or what other moms do. What matters is that I want my children to be so certain of my love for them that when I need to get onto them or correct something, they don’t wither. I believe a kiddo, who feels loved, is resilient.
 
When I finally became a mom, I didn’t expect for Valentine’s Day to overwhelm me like it has. It’s an incredible time to reflect on the miracles that are my children. Motherhood is love. Children are treasures. Remembering to shower them with love all around this holiday has been pure joy for me.
 
heart confetti
 
So, who wants to have fun with this easy-peasy holiday? Let your creativity shine, and LOVE on those beautiful kids of yours! What simple tricks do you have up your sleeve, Mama? I’d love to hear them.

 

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Amber
Amber has been married to her college sweetheart from Texas A&M, Kyle, for 11 years. They encountered the difficulty of infertility, and it became the biggest blessing of their lives when it pushed them to pursue adoption. Both of their kids (Willow and Jonas) were born in China and adopted as toddlers; attachment has been a beautiful and unique story with each of them. Amber used to teach and then followed her passion to help children as a school counselor before becoming a mom. Although Amber stays at home with her children now, one day a week she gets to practice play therapy as a licensed professional counselor at Family Connections Counseling in Colleyville. Faith, family, and friends are especially important to Amber. On a day off, you can find her playing games, laughing, reading, talking, sleeping, watching a movie, or enjoying family time outside.

1 COMMENT

  1. Everything on this day has a Valentine’s touch. Breakfast waffle with heart sprinkles, lunch with heart shaped food (easy heart sandwich with a cookie cutter!) and a note. Aldi even sells a heart shaped pizza!

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