Let's Give Love a Try - Update
Since I had a couple requests to see how the "14 Acts of Love" jar worked out, I thought I'd give a little update on our Valentine's week. (Sorry the picture quality isn't the best. I was using my little point-and-shoot and it didn't do so hot indoors.)
I kicked it off with a Family Home Evening on Monday the week before
Valentine's. I read the scripture in John where the Savior says we are commanded to love one another. Then I took out a large, pink construction paper heart and talked about how showing love towards others can be done in many different ways. I asked the boys what sorts of things made them feel loved. I got answers like, "when I get a hug" or "when someone gives me presents".
Then, taking cues from "The Five Love Languages", I used post-it notes to stick to our heart the five main ways that we can show love and feel loved - (in simplified terms) saying it, giving gifts, loving touches, spending time together, and giving service. I also gave everyone the online love language assessment. We discovered that Caleb feels love with words of affirmation (saying it) and physical touch, Bren through receiving gifts and physical touch, me through acts of service and quality time, and Jacob through quality time and physical touch. I think everyone was feeling like they were understood and excited to start giving and showing love.
Finally, I presented the jar and told the boys that over the next week they could practice showing love by pulling a stick each day and doing the act of love on the back of the heart. Then we had some yummy Valentine cookie pops that Caleb and I had made together. It was a fun evening.
Bright and early the next morning, the first thing Brendan and Caleb did after waking up was run out to the living room to pull their stick and see what their "mission" was for the day. They were very enthusiastic and tried to do their acts of love in a stealthy manner whenever possible. Brendan snuck in and made Caleb's bed one day. Caleb went around cleaning the doorknobs around the house for me another. I got compliments and thank you's for things that I do. Brendan took an apple to his school teacher, and Caleb picked up his toys without being asked. I felt that it was a very successful experiment.
Then on Valentine's Day they did their last act of love, and I had a special surprise waiting for them after school. I picked them up and then when they walked into the house through the garage, there were two balls of yarn in different colors, with post-its labeling each as belonging to a boy and saying "follow me".
They had to follow their own web of yarn all around the house, in and out of rooms and around furniture until they got to the end.
Each ended with a little heart-shaped Valentine box of chocolates. (If you look really closely at the back wall of the dining room, you can see the construction paper heart and post-its from FHE). Riley thought it was pretty fun to walk under all the yarn. He was just the right size. Caleb and Bren thought that the yarn web was really neat, too. Brendan described following the yarn as "work that is fun".
That evening, I prepared a candlelight dinner for ALL my Valentine's and congratulated them on a job well done. They each got a little box of conversation hearts at their place at the table. Something about eating with candlelight is extremely novel, too. I think that everyone felt loved.
I kicked it off with a Family Home Evening on Monday the week before
Valentine's. I read the scripture in John where the Savior says we are commanded to love one another. Then I took out a large, pink construction paper heart and talked about how showing love towards others can be done in many different ways. I asked the boys what sorts of things made them feel loved. I got answers like, "when I get a hug" or "when someone gives me presents".
Then, taking cues from "The Five Love Languages", I used post-it notes to stick to our heart the five main ways that we can show love and feel loved - (in simplified terms) saying it, giving gifts, loving touches, spending time together, and giving service. I also gave everyone the online love language assessment. We discovered that Caleb feels love with words of affirmation (saying it) and physical touch, Bren through receiving gifts and physical touch, me through acts of service and quality time, and Jacob through quality time and physical touch. I think everyone was feeling like they were understood and excited to start giving and showing love.
Finally, I presented the jar and told the boys that over the next week they could practice showing love by pulling a stick each day and doing the act of love on the back of the heart. Then we had some yummy Valentine cookie pops that Caleb and I had made together. It was a fun evening.
Bright and early the next morning, the first thing Brendan and Caleb did after waking up was run out to the living room to pull their stick and see what their "mission" was for the day. They were very enthusiastic and tried to do their acts of love in a stealthy manner whenever possible. Brendan snuck in and made Caleb's bed one day. Caleb went around cleaning the doorknobs around the house for me another. I got compliments and thank you's for things that I do. Brendan took an apple to his school teacher, and Caleb picked up his toys without being asked. I felt that it was a very successful experiment.
Then on Valentine's Day they did their last act of love, and I had a special surprise waiting for them after school. I picked them up and then when they walked into the house through the garage, there were two balls of yarn in different colors, with post-its labeling each as belonging to a boy and saying "follow me".
They had to follow their own web of yarn all around the house, in and out of rooms and around furniture until they got to the end.
Each ended with a little heart-shaped Valentine box of chocolates. (If you look really closely at the back wall of the dining room, you can see the construction paper heart and post-its from FHE). Riley thought it was pretty fun to walk under all the yarn. He was just the right size. Caleb and Bren thought that the yarn web was really neat, too. Brendan described following the yarn as "work that is fun".
That evening, I prepared a candlelight dinner for ALL my Valentine's and congratulated them on a job well done. They each got a little box of conversation hearts at their place at the table. Something about eating with candlelight is extremely novel, too. I think that everyone felt loved.
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