We asked our Mental Health team to tell us more about how we can show love to our children using their own special love languages. Here’s what they shared with us – we hope these suggestions inspire you to come up with ways to show your kids, your family, and your friends how much you care about them all year long!
Acts of Service
“Kids who have acts of service as their primary love language enjoy when parents or caregivers take the time to do nice things for them like preparing their favorite meal.” – Kellie Vaca, RACSW
Words of Affirmation
“Words of affirmation are a powerful way to show our kids that we love and appreciate them. Showing our love through words can help with bonding, make them feel secure, and develop their sense of worth. I encourage parents to praise their child’s efforts often, to frequently say ‘I love you,’ and to freely give compliments to their children.” – Montserrat Torres, LMFT
Physical Touch
“Physical touch is an important love language and can take many forms like hugging your child, holding their hand, patting them on the shoulder, or even just sitting with them.” – Regina Hernandez, RAMFT
Quality Time
“Giving your full, undivided attention to your child is a very important part of their development and social skills growth. I recommend for parents to take their children on walks, go to park together, watch movies with them, play a board game, let them help with special tasks, share stories and feelings, or do arts and crafts or gardening projects together. This helps strengthen the parent-child relationship, it feels great to be engaged, and most importantly, you’re creating special moments together.” – Cristina Ramirez, RACSW
Gift Giving
“Gift giving doesn’t always mean going out and buying something expensive for your child. Write a letter about how much you love and care about them. Pick them a pretty flower you saw on a walk. Bake a treat you know they would like. It’s all about intention and the fact that you thought of your child on a deeper level.” – Emily Stone, RAMFT
