Finding ways to say I love you to your kids can sometimes be tricky. Especially when you're a parent to several children (like I am).
To add to the pressure, helping kids know they are loved is an essential part of teaching children about God (and His great love for them).
That's why, despite the fact that I am a busy (and imperfect!) mom, I try my best everyday to intentionally tell my kids “I love you.” And I'm guessing you also want to intentionally let your kids know they are loved too?
Thank goodness there are many ways to say I love you to kids!
Whether we write an I love you because list for our kids or we say I love you with a smile from across the room, I wrote down 130 creative ways to say I love you to your kids so that we can intentionally show our kids how loved they are!
If you're looking to say I love you to your kids, this is the perfect list for you!
P.S. Be sure to scroll down to the end of the post so that don't miss the #1 way to tell kids they are loved!
4 Ways to Use This List of Ways to Say I Love You to Your Kids
1) Choose 30 things from the list and do 1 thing everydayfor the next 30 days.
2) Write down a few of theseways to say Iloveyou to your kids.Then plan to do one idea a week for each child.
3) Read through the list of ways to say I love you to your children. Ask them which ideas would make them feel most loved, and then plan to implement one of those ideas.
4) Let these ways to say I love you be a springboard for other ideas you may have to show your children love!
130 Ways to Say “I Love You to Your Kids
NOTE: Remember, just as every child is different, there are no right or wrong answers on how to show a child that he or she is loved.
However, it needs to be said that sometimesa parent has to say I love you in a way that's may notalways “feel” loving to a child. This kind of tough love is just as important as the more obvious forms of love!
Therefore, what's the best way to show love to a child in a given moment? Seek God's wisdom on how to best authentically love your child for each stage of his life.
With this in mind, here's the list of 130 ways to say I love you to your kids!
May they inspire you to show love to your child more often too!
1) Play your child's favorite board game.
2) Stop what you're doing and truly listen to him.
3) Be transparent and authentic.
4) Be willing to see it from her point of view.
5) Put together a LEGO set (here's my four-year-old's favorite one!)
6) Come home from work early.
7) how deep and rich God's love is for him
8) Draw with sidewalk chalk outside.
9) Take him with you on an errand.
10) Work in the garden together.
11) Hold her hand.
12) Work on a sewing project together.
13) Go for a bike ride.
14) Kiss her on the cheek.
15) Go for a walk.
16) Help him practice his sports skills at home.
17) Play an instrument together.
18) Look her in the eyes.
19) Take her clothes shopping.
20) Cheer extra loudly at their sports practice or games.
21) Tell him, “I'm so proud of you.”
22) Wrestle on the floor together.
23) Exercise together regularly.
24) Share a blanket together while watching a movie.
25) Read a book aloud.
26) Ask her to tell you about herfavorite book.
27) Encourage her with Bible verses about joy, especially on the hard days.
28) Surprise him with that item he's been wanting.
29) Let her pick what's for dinner tonight.
30) Be spontaneous.
31) Ask him what he wants to be when he grows up.
32) Hold your tongue when you want to be overly critical.
33) Be on time.
34) Let him help make dinner.
35) Laugh together at your favorite movie.
36) Share a story about when you were a child.
37) Teach him how to study the Bible for himself.
38) Listen without talking.
39) Fill up water balloons and play baseball with the balloons.
40) Play his favorite video game with him in dual-player mode.
41) Say a silly tongue twister together.
42) Pray together for something that's troubling him.
43) Hold her when she cries.
44) Find fun rainy day activities and play them together.
45)Draw a picture together (here's some fun drawing/coloring books!).
46) Offer grace for his mistakes, and remind him of God's love for him with these love Bible verses.
48) Make his favorite dessert.
49) Play your favorite family games together.
50) Have a snowball fight.
51) Play dolls with her.
52) Crank up his favorite song and sing along (unless he's a tween and “too embarrassed,” then just crank it up).
53) Play one-on-one basketball with him.
54) Race toy cars down a long hall.
55) Host a family movie night.
56) Go to a park and play on the swings or playground together.
57) Sing a bedtime song (we sing our own version of “Jesus Loves Me” each night to our youngest kids).
58) Be extra silly with him.
59) Make her favorite snack.
60) Help her rearrange her room.
61)Say yes to “just one more” story.
62) Take him on a mommy-child date.
63) Host a tea party (fancy or not!) with her friends.
64) Snuggle.
64) Go on a hike.
65) Give her a mini-makeover.
66) Cook his favorite breakfast.
67) Work together to do a kind deed (here's a list of 67 Random Acts of Kindness).
68) Do a puzzle together.
69) Set firm but loving boundaries.
70) Collect fall leaves and other natural items to make “leaf animals” and a banner like this.
71) Lower your tone and speak softer.
72) Put a puzzle together.
73) Send a text that says, “I love you.”
74) Celebrate a success, no matter how small.
75) Braid/style her hair in a fun way.
76) Praise her publicly (unless she'd be embarrassed by it, then do it privately).
77) Ask his opinion.
78) Remind her that she has a purpose.
79) Do that thing he wants to do.
80) Put a note of encouragement in his lunchbox.
81) Make believe together.
82) Call her to say “I miss you” when you're out of town.
83) Make cookies just because.
84) Volunteer as the team mom.
85) Apologize when you've messed up.
86) Remindhim how deep and rich God's love is for him.
87) Share the story (again) of how you met his father.
88) Give tough love when she needs it.
89) Go stargazing.
90) Wake him up about an hour after he's gone to bed so you can go out to ice cream.
91) Read a book by flashlight.
92) Build her confidence by share your favorite character trait about her.
93) Make an indoor pillow/blanket fort.
94) Return his angry words with a calm comment.
95) Go camping.
96) Give her a hug.
97) Give him his space when he needs it.
98) Tell him a story of what life was like when you were growing up.
99) Offer to pray for her when she is afraid.
100) Put her picture on your desk.
101) Give him a massage after a hard practice or a hard school day.
102) Show them a random act of kindness.
103) Smile.
104) Play in the pool with him (yes, even get your hair wet!).
105) Remind her that it's OK to not always have all the answers.
106) Take a selfie together.
107) When necessary, let him try hard and figure it out himself.
109) Wink at her from across the room.
110) Laugh at his (very silly) jokes.
111) Play hide and go seek.
112) Whisper how much you love him in his ear when you're sitting quietly together.
113) Go to a U-Pick fruit farm or harvest produce from your own yard.
114) Remind him that he's always good enough.
115) Say please and thank you.
116) Train for a 5K (or other big physical challenge) together.
117) Go on a scavenger hunt.
118) Write “You got this!” on a sticky note and put it on the bathroom mirror.
119) Do a seasonal craft together.
120) Post something awesome about her on social media.
121) Make silly faces together.
122) Play outside together.
123) Simply say, “I understand.”
124) Start a journal together to share favorite memories.
125) Share with him the story of his birth.
126) Buy her a special treat unexpectedly.
127) Have a staring contest.
128) Play I Spy.
129) Ask, “What isyour favoritething we've done on vacations together?”
130)Keep his school memorabilia in one place and pull it out from time to time (to tell him how proud you are!).
#1 Way to Tell a Child They Are Loved
There are many ways to say I love you to kids.But the best way?
Introduce your child to the God who created him or her.
Teach your child to know God by teaching them how to study the Bible (and how to apply biblical truth to his/her life) and you'll connect your child to the true source of all love!
But kids (and even we adults!) need a simple way to study the Bible. A good Bible study method (especially one for kids) must be:
- easy to remember
- simple to use
- not full of big words and concepts
I created the 5Rs Bible Study™ Method for my own kids, and now I want to introduce it to you too!
The 5Rs Bible Study™ Method consists of 5 steps:
- Read
- Rewrite
- Restate
- Relate
- Respond.
This simple method allows anyone to read any verse, understand it fully, relate it to their lives and then create a simple plan to implement that truth into today's life circ*mstances.
You can give the 5Rs Bible Study Method a try here with this free 3-day “How to Grow Closer to God” Bible Study.
Don't miss this ultimate way to say I love you to your kids!
