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Inside: Join the Happy Hearts Challenge and discover simple ways to love your child and make them feel special, no matter how busy life gets.
My baby’s favorite place in the world is in my arms. At his age, my hugs and cuddles are his biggest joy, and I love to offer him plenty of opportunities to enjoy them!
But his desire to spend a lot of time in my arms sometimes makes it more challenging for me to offer my older son the attention he needs.
One day, as I was holding the baby in my arms, and my son was playing with his LEGOs on the carpet, I could feel how much he wanted me to join him. Even though he wasn’t saying it, I knew he missed our long hours of uninterrupted time together.
But before I even had the chance to say something about it, he looked at me and asked:
“Why do you think the baby wants you to hold him all the time?”
“I think it’s because he loves me and wants to stay close to me as much as possible.”, I answered, curious to find out why he asked me about this.
“That’s not it!” – he said with a firm voice.
Then he looked at the baby, smiled, and continued:
“It’s because he wants to feel that YOU love him. That’s what all the babies want to feel.”
His words took me by surprise. I never imagined he would say something like this.
“What about older kids? What do they want to feel?”, I asked.
“The same thing!” – he answered without hesitation. “When you love me, my heart is infinity happy!”
At first, hearing him say “when you love me” felt strange. Because obviously, I love him all the time! But I quickly understood what he meant, and those words stuck with me ever since.
The truth is that as parents, we love our kids with all our hearts, and it’s easy to assume that they know this.
But it’s a big difference between loving someone and showing that love and making them feel loved.
For kids, those moments when they feel loved matter more than anything!
My son’s words were the best reminder for me to make sure my kids feel loved every day.
Even when life is busy, finding quick ways to show them my love is one of the most precious gifts I could give them!
The Happy Hearts Challenge
My son telling me that my love makes his heart happy inspired the name of this challenge because this is what the challenge is all about: making kids feel loved and bringing them joy.
Today I want to invite you to join me in this challenge and gather many happy hearts with simple gestures that will make your kids feel loved.
Here is how it works:
- Download the printable tracker for the challenge using this link. (the printable file also includes a list of easy ways to make your kids feel loved)
- Print the tracker and display it somewhere in your home where you can easily see it every day.
- For the next month, challenge yourself to add a smiley face on as many of these hearts by making small gestured that will make your kids feel loved. (Every time you do something that makes your kids feel loved, no matter how small, you put a smiley face on one of the hearts.)
All these little gestures will bring you closer to your kids, and I hope they will bring more joy and connection to your home!
To inspire you during this challenge, I gathered here a list of 28 simple ways to love your child, no matter how busy life gets. These ideas are very easy to put into practice, and they can bring many happy hearts on your tracker.
(I have also added this list in the printable file in case you want to have them at hand.)
28 simple ways to love your child (even when life is busy)
1. Write love notes and leave them around the house for your child to discover.
2. Make a thank you card for your child after they did something nice for you.
3. Say “I love when you …” and be specific about the things you like.
4. Let them know when you notice their efforts and achievements. (Be specific about every positive thing you notice.)
5. Play silly games and laugh together.
6. Tuck your child in at bedtime and spend some additional time with them before they fall asleep.
7. In the morning, wake them up in a loving way and snuggle for a while before getting out of the bed.
8. Prepare their favorite meal.
9. Create a family group hug to help you connect as a family.
10. Help your child with small tasks like cleaning up their toys or finishing a school project.
11. Prepare a special bubble bath for your child.
12. Do silly things and make them laugh.
13. Prepare / buy your child’s favorite drink or snack and bring it to them when you get home or when you pick them up from school.
14. Prepare a homemade gift for your child.
15. Use words of encouragement as often as you can. (Here is a list of words of encouragement for kids in case you need some additional inspiration.)
16. Draw a portrait of you and your child and display it in your bedroom. (or ask your child to draw it)
17. Offer hugs and kisses when your child wants to cuddle.
18. Create a special family handshake.
19. Tell your kids about the things you love the most about them.
20. Spend some time connecting with your kids without any distractions or interruptions.
21. Compliment your child.
22. Write encouraging notes for your child and leave the messages in places where they will easily find them. (e.g. in the lunchbox, on the mirror, on their beds, in their bags)
23. Write a nice message on the bathroom mirror for your child to discover in the morning. (or make a cute drawing if you have young kids)
24. Tell your kids lovely stories about the time they were babies.
25. Share with your child nice memories from your childhood.
26. Write a chalk message on the driveway or the sidewalk in front of your house for your kids to discover when they come home from school.
27. Display your child’s artwork in a special place in your house and let them know how much you appreciate their work.
28. Cuddle on the couch while reading a book or watching a movie.
If you like the idea of making your kids feel loved every single day, don’t forget to join the Happy Hearts Challenge and download the printable tracker from here.
Filling your child’s heart with joy and love is such a wonderful mission to have as a parent! And I hope this challenge will make it easier for you to make this happen every single day!
photos from depositphotos.com
