Create a Love Tree

Craft a “love tree” by hanging paper hearts from a small branch or stand. (I’ve seen these at Hobby Lobby and craft stores).  Each heart can feature something the children love, or have newly discovered, or a good deed they’ve done. You can make this a daily routine, perhaps before they go to bed at night, or even to keep little hands busy while you rush to get dinner on the table, then start with a blank tree each week. (The added bonus is that you can keep any recurring theme hearts, and reuse them whenever that favorite thing or good behavior recurs.) 

It’s important to review all the hearts and sentiments put on the tree, so that you and your child build a habit of positivity, gratitude and reflection. This is a perfect way to demonstrate one of the many fun methods of counting your blessings. 

If a daily routine is a bit much for your little one, this can be done for a birthday party or special occasion, or it can be a weekly ritual, to add one more “leaf” to the tree each week. It’s a beautiful way to focus on the lovely things in life–and the brightly colored “tree” will enliven any little corner of your home.