For the last several years, my kids have requested an activity that I started one year as a way to show positivity to my children and to lift up their good traits and habits. I wanted to have something that highlighted a different positive aspect of each child for the fourteen days leading up to Valentine’s Day in February. This has become such a beloved tradition now that my children beg me to do it every year.

The idea behind it is super simple: each day write on a piece of paper something I love about that child. Every morning they read it, then glue it onto a 12×12 piece of scrapbook paper. On Valentine’s Day they then have a whole page filled with 14 things I love about them to remind them just how special they are and things that I notice and care about.

To be honest, this is very healthy for me as their mother. It’s really easy to focus on things that are negative, things that need work or corrected. This activity forces me to focus on the good aspects of them, always making sure to be paying enough attention that I can actually come up with fourteen different things to write for them. It sounds fairly easy, until you sit down to do it. Writing down “I love how kind you are to your brother except when they knock over your tower” just doesn’t have the same meaning to it. It makes me overlook those times that I wish were corrected or non-existent to focus on the good parts. Here are the steps I try to follow to make this happen for us:

1. First, I make a list. I have 6 children so I make a list for each one. You can do it each night and come up with something, but to be honest, I’m tired at night and would rather just do what I need or want to do then go to bed, sans thinking hard for each one to give a special note to. I would never get it done that way. So the first step is to make at least most of your fourteen days as a list to choose which one you want to write down for the day.
2. Next, you have to have the supplies. I use a 12″x12″ piece of scrapbooking paper. They’re inexpensive to purchase just a few of them and it’s even more fun when they get to pick it out. Some years I just pick one for each of them, but they really do like picking it out themselves. Besides paper, you need the papers to write the note on. I used just sticky notes the first year. The next year I purchased heart sticky notes off of Amazon. I felt it gave it more of a Valentine’s Day feel. Even though I have 5 boys, they don’t mind that their notes are on hearts. They really don’t care what the shape is. They’re looking for and appreciating the note written on it. You can use pieces of paper or could even cut apart different patterned pieces of paper to make small pieces to glue on. Again, the paper doesn’t really matter to them. I do recommend that if you do sticky notes, they still need to be glued on. Otherwise they do fall off.
3. Write their name at the top along with “I love…” One year I pulled out my Cricut to write on them and make it fancy, but usually I just write it with a marker. Just remember you’re not looking for perfection. The kids are not either. On the note, I usually just write what comes after I love since it’s already on the paper.
4. The only other thing needed is somewhere to put the notes for the kids to find them. I have small mailboxes that we use for special treats and such for each child. I put the sticky notes in them for them to grab when they’re ready the next morning. I always make sure to write the notes at night so they don’t beat me to it in the morning. For the ones who cannot read, I read it to them. Then they glue their note on.

That’s it! It’s really such a simple thing to do, but has such everlasting effects on the children. They love hearing the positive things I love about them. What’s a better thing for a parent to do than to boost their child’s confidence and show them how much you love them?

Want to give it a try? I’d love to see how you do it! Please share with me if you do!