How do you show kids love?
Kids need love and affection to be able to learn to love too. To show kids love, sometimes could be a handful especially when they start to move around like walk and go to school. They need to always feel loved, safe, secure and cared for always.
To show kids love, as parents, we should always remember that what we say and how we act around our children in their early years helps to form their character and personality.
No matter how busy we get in our day-to-day activities, we must always make out time to show kids love at every given opportunity. Saying it to them is a good thing but the saying that action speaks louder than words comes to play in these instances.
Ways To Show kids Love
The following are ways to show kids love:
1. Make physical contact with them regularly
Give them hugs, a peck on the cheek or forehead, high fives, hold their hands, carry them, lie and cuddle with them. Make sure they feel safe and happy with you. This gives them a good sense of belonging and is a good way to show kids, love.
2. Listen and make eye contact with them
We could have busy days but to show kids love, do not ignore them especially when they have something interesting or important to tell you.
To show kids love learn to put away your phone, laptop and other devices when your kids need your attention, listen attentively to what they have to say and look them in the eye when communicating with them.
3. Teach them
After school, make out time to teach your kids. If you have a little spare time, you could be their home tutor, do their homework with them, and ensure they learn new things every day like things used in the kitchen or things in their surrounding, the sun and moon and so on. This gives more room to spend quality time together and show kids, love.
Teaching your kids not only creates an opportunity for parents to show kids, love, but it also allows the parent to know how best to teach the child for the child to learn better and faster.
READ: [20 Ways to help an average child learn faster]
4, Compliment and reward them
Do not forget to always compliment them when they accomplish a task or are in the process of accomplishing it, it motivates them to do more, and in some exceptional cases, you can reward them with their favourite snack.
5. Thank them
Be appreciative of little things they do for you such as running errands, thank them for being good kids and not stressing you out, for being nice to their siblings or for helping them out. For being obedient and good listeners.
This not only shows kids love but also teaches them to be appreciative and feel good about themselves.
6. Make sleeping time special
In the night before sleeping, tug them into bed or cuddle in with them, discuss what happened in their school that day, how their day went, tell them how your day went as well and possibly read a bedtime story to them
7. Institute family traditions/norms
It could be a particular event every month or two monthly, like going for a picnic, swimming, playground, shopping, travelling. Knowing that there is an upcoming family event makes them feel excited and happy in anticipation
8. Play with them
You can play dress-up games or goofy games in general. Run around the house with them, Chase them in the garden, play hide and seek, and allow them to win most of the time, this boosts their confidence that they can accomplish things and succeed.
9. Remember special occasions
Birthdays and other special events should be remembered and if possible celebrated. Even if you are too busy or financially constrained to celebrate, ensure that they know these days and mark them with at least a few family members.
10. Allow them to cook with you
They could be a mess but allow them to help out in the kitchen, no matter how small the errand is, send them.
It gives them a sense of belonging and satisfaction to be of help. When they come of age, helping in the kitchen wouldn’t seem like so much work.
11. Surprise them
Sometimes, go out of your way to pull a surprise on them, pick them up from school or games and go straight to the beach or for ice cream or skating.
12. Bend the rules at times
When they misbehave and expect spanking or an angry parent, just calmly admonish and correct them especially when they have done a very bad thing.
Teach them to always apologise for any wrongdoing and not to avoid repeating such acts intentionally.
13. Be patient with them
Patience is a virtue and comes in handy when handling them, you need it full time. They may not do things right by you all the time, you have to be patient with them and allow them to learn gradually.
14. Spend quality time with them
Always make out time for them from your busy schedule. Observe a parent and kid time, this helps you to know your kid better and bond well.
15. Teach them how to be kind
They should be able to express their feelings to you and their siblings at all times. Make them feel comfortable and welcome to be able to do so.
16. Accept corrections from them
Allow them to correct your English, your method of carrying out a task and running errands especially if they are right.
17. Acknowledge you are wrong
Accept when you are wrong and apologise to them for the wrongdoing this helps to teach them to apologise when they are also wrong
18. Show up for them
Especially in their schools and clubs show up for events that accept visitors, this will go a great mile to show how supportive you are to them.
19. Encourage them
Let them know that they can do anything they put their mind to doing. Nothing is impossible so as long as they work hard for it.
20. Know their friends
Ask them who their friends are, you may invite them over for dinner or lunch and also get to know them better.
21. Do not be an angry parent
When they do wrong, don’t always talk down on them, and do not bring their shortcomings to the public.
22. Tell them you love them many times a day
The assurance that is gotten from hearing that from you several times could be heartwarming and reassuring.
23. Know their strength
To show kids, love, you need to know their strengths and weakness. Focus on their area of strength to give them more confidence.
Also, pay some attention to their weakness to strengthen those areas, but focus more on the areas of strength.
24. Spirituality
We have different belief systems and cultures. teach your kids about God, your culture or whatever you believe in.
Christians, Muslims and other religions that believe in the existence of God should teach their children about God’s love for them.
25. Get them involved
Allow your kids the liberty to make some household decisions such as planning family outings, choosing where the family is going to hang out or what to have for dinner.
Include the kids in the family travel plans. let them decide where the next holiday location will be. These activities will create good memories in their minds. Good times shared together are moments of love to remember and cherish.