(Click the sweet girl below to download the hearts of loving kindness tradition detailed below, the love muffin recipe, 10 things I love about you, and directions to make your very own love journal. These will print out ready to give as a sweet little gift, so using cardstock works well.)
Hearts of Loving Kindness – Use pretty hearts during the month of February to teach the value of loving kindness to the loved ones in your life. Find a small box or jar and decorate it (invite your children to help) any way you want: with stickers, artwork, photos or a big red ribbon. Place all of the hearts inside and tell your family members what it’s all about.
Every time you see someone doing something kind for someone else, write their name and what they did on a heart. String it up on a ribbon and hang it in the kitchen or family room for all to see. You can put four to six hearts on a ribbon by cutting a slit at the top and bottom of the heart and slipping each heart up the ribbon and then tie a knot at the top of the heart to hold it in place. The more hearts your family sees dangling, the more they will want to add to the festive display.
You will have plenty of opportunities during the month to talk about how and why we do things for others simply out of the "kindness of our hearts." Make it a family tradition to focus on the value of loving kindness every February and be sure to preserve those precious memories in a Valentine’s Day Book with a photo of family members holding their Hearts of Loving Kindness.
SEE Balancing Beauty and Bedlam for more tradition ideas