Add More Love to Your Home with Service

Are you feeling a little down after 2020? It seems that there is so much craziness in the world today. Negativity and selfishness abound. I have found one of the best ways to lift my spirits is to find ways to serve others. Service can seem so intimidating for many families, but the rewards are so worth the struggle!

With Valentine’s coming up, I’m searching for new activities and traditions for my family to help create fond memories. Here is last year’s post on other Valentine’s activity ideas. This year I thought it would be fun to look for ways to have my family serve each other and create more love and unity at home. I can’t think of a better way to bring positivity, joy, and peace into your home than through service. Service has helped my family grow closer together and create amazing life-long memories. Give it a try this Valentine’s and see if you can’t find a way to bring in more love into your home. Here are a few ideas I came up with. Let me know if you have something else to try.

“If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.”
Mother Teresa

Cut out a big heart (or a little one). Call it the “Service Heart”. The person with the heart does something nice for someone else in the family and leaves the heart on their pillow. We tried this one year and the kids loved it! It’s really great to get them looking for ways to help each other.
Heart attack someone’s door. Write on each heart something you like about them.
Give each family member a different color sticky note and have them leave kind notes on the doors/mirrors of each family member. We have a felt heart envelope that I found at Target one year that we hang on the doorknob the week before so we can leave nice notes to each other.
Send each child a special text/email for Valentine’s Day.
Have a full day that is only positive, no negative comments. Try to have each family member keep track of how many good/positive thoughts you have throughout the day.
Create loving Rebus messages for each other.
Have a family project that you can work to accomplish together.
Have a fancy candlelight dinner. Family dinners are so important but this just takes it up a notch. My kids still love this one.
Cut Wycinaka Valentines for each other.
Have an object lesson! Do an experiment here with milk/dawn/food coloring to show the influence of service and kindness in your home and community.
Plan a “We love to be a family day” click Here.
Use a Random Acts deck of cards: Here or a similar idea: here. Choose one card each day to do as a family.
Decorate heart shaped cookies together and then take them to a lonely neighbor.
Write cards of appreciation to family members or grandparents.
Write thank you cards to teachers, coaches, and leaders.
Read books about kindness. Check out a list Here.
Donate to a local food bank or animal shelter.
SMILE! It may sound simple but it helps change my attitude!
Hide dollar bills in the toy section of the store.
Make blankets to donate to the children’s hospital.
Clean up a local park.
Make homeless kits and then put them in the care to hand out to people. Here.
Learn about TRUE LOVE as you study the life of Jesus Christ. He is the perfect example of how to love correctly. Then pray together.

“Sometimes the greatest love is not found in the dramatic scenes that poets and writers immortalize. Often, the greatest manifestations of love are the simple acts of kindness and caring we extend to those we meet along the path of life.”
Joseph B. Wirthlin

Remember size doesn’t matter when it comes to service! Even small acts will help your family grow closer together. Spread the love and serve! Share what service your family does.

Here are some other great service ideas: