365 WAYS TO LOVE YOUR CHILD: Book Review & Giveaway
If you’ve ever desired to think of different ways to show your little ones your love, look no further. Julie Lavender has compiled 365 WAYS TO LOVE YOUR CHILD: Turning Little Moments into Lasting Memories.
In addition to this book review, we also have a giveaway! We love the generous spirit of the publishers and authors, don’t we?
This book contains a letter from the author to the “guardian of God’s treasured children” which states: “. . . nothing is too big or too small when it comes to expressing love to our children. Love your children with great gusto. You’ll make memories to last a lifetime, and you’ll give them a glimpse of how big the love of their heavenly Father is!”
Children appreciate extra reminders of being greatly loved, so let’s see what this book contains. But first, allow me to introduce the author.
The Author: Julie Lavender
Julie Lavender is an award-winning author and has written several books and articles. She has a master’s degree in early childhood education and taught public school before homeschooling. And she loves encouraging parents.
Julie says growing up in “a financially strapped South Georgia farming family she learned to appreciate small yet meaningful affirmations of love when her parents found ways to visibly demonstrate their feelings.” After she had her own children, she found joy in finding creative ways to express her love for them and for the children she encountered at school and at church.
The Contents of 365 WAYS TO LOVE YOUR CHILD
There are 150 pages in this paperback Christian parenting book. The format is set in easy-to-read bullet point sections. Readers can randomly choose a page to scan for ideas.
The contents cover these areas:
- When we’re outside
- When we’re at home
- When we’re in the kitchen
- When we’re running errands
- When we’re playing games
- When we’re getting creative
- When we’re reading and playing
- When we’re serving others
- When we’re celebrating the seasons
- When we’re showing affection
- When we’re sharing love notes
- When we’re vacationing
Examples from the book include eating together as a family, complimenting restaurant staff in front of your children mentioning what they liked the best, and carving heart shapes into your children’s bars of soap.
One of my favorite ideas was on page 32 which mentioned sharing with your kids some of the milestones and funny stories recorded in their baby books. We’ve talked here on the blog before about the importance of journaling. Certainly, kids will feel special when they learn you’ve taken the time to write down some of the things they’ve said and done in their lives.
Along with activity ideas, Lavender shares specific things to say to your kids. One example is saying, “You’re my cup of tea” or “You’re tea-rific” to a child after completing a craft using teabags mentioned on page 83.
Recommendation
Parents of babies – elementary school students will enjoy using this delightful book as a resource for creative reminders of their love.
Many of the ideas in this book remind me of things I did for my kids as they grew up and things my mom did for me when I was a child. But, not every child grows up in a home where love is demonstrated in creative ways. What may sound like familiar ideas to some parents, other folks will find extraordinary.
I’ll never forget what a young mom said to me when I mentored her years ago. She mentioned her mother had fed and clothed her and provided a place for her to stay but she never did much beyond that. This young mom did not know how to demonstrate her love for her kids in every day little moments. She would have greatly appreciated this book! That’s why I plan to donate my personal copy to a local crisis pregnancy center. They have numerous clients who feel ill-equipped to parent a child. One of the many resources the center offers is helpful parenting books.
365 WAYS TO LOVE YOUR CHILD would also make a lovely baby shower gift! What a time-saver it would be to have this book on hand rather than trying to come up with your own ideas.
Giveaway
Would you like to win an autographed copy of this book for yourself or to give it as a gift? I’ll randomly choose a winner from this blog’s list of email subscribers (U.S. residents only) on February 20, 2021. If you’d like to have a chance at winning, make sure your name is on the email list.
If you’d like your name entered into the drawing twice, then also leave a comment below!
*Just a heads up—you don’t want to miss next week’s blog post. I’ve invited this book’s author, Julie Lavender, to guest post for us. Yay! I can’t wait to hear what she has to share with us!
Until then, will you share with us a creative way you’ve shown love to a child?
I received a FREE copy of this product in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations.
CONGRATULATIONS to the winner of this giveaway- K. Traylor! I’ll be in touch via email about where I should mail your book.
11 Comments
Krysten Traylor
This sounds like a wonderful book.
Sally Matheny
Hi, Krysten. It is a delightful book! Thanks for taking time to comment.
Have a joyful day.
Julie Lavender
Thank you so much for doing this, Sally! I’m super excited about a book giveaway!!! We just happened to be visiting my two-year-old grandson this weekend, and my hubby and I have been saving boxes and paper towel holders for weeks! He loves to stack empty boxes and knock them over. And, he also loves playing with empty paper towel holders in random ways. We use them as megaphones and drop a small ball through them and bang on empty boxes with them. I think one way grandparents can show love to their grandchildren is to come for a visit, prepared to play with whatever interests the child at that moment. We can’t wait to stack up boxes in the morning and knock them over, then we’ll take them back home with us to play on another visit! Nothing costly – just being intentional to save up some fun items to take with us on our visit!!!
Thanks again for the giveaway! So very excited!!
Sally Matheny
Ah, Julie–we have much in common! When our grandson was younger, I saved Quaker Oats cardboard containers. I carved three sizes of holes in the plastic lids. He and I spent chunks of time putting little pom-poms of various sizes into the holes, pouring them all back out, and doing it again and again. Kids and cardboard just go together! 🙂
Thanks for taking time out to visit and comment here. And thank you for writing a sweet resource for parents. We look forward to reading your guest post next week!
Rana Edwards
I try to do something with my kids one on one that they enjoy. Individual time makes them feel special.
Sally Matheny
You’re absolutely right, Rana. One-on-one time is precious time. You’re building strong bonds. The time you’re investing now will most likely bear fruit for generations to come.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us.
Kristi
As I write this, I’m showing love to my adult child. She’s flying back home today (from NC to WA state after being here since before Christmas. Her husband is on deployment.) With a 6 hour flight ahead and then a 2 hour drive, she needs to face the day rested. Her 16 month old is not a great sleeper…and a very active toddler whose going to be challenged to stay in a plane seat and then a car seat for most of the day. His 5 year old sister is a great traveler, but the day will be an exhausting one for all. Our little non-sleeper woke at 5:00 am ready to play. Fortunately, the Lord woke me too! Now my “baby” is able to sleep while I show love to my grandbaby while we watch his favorite,“The Adventures of Paddington” and play with some…hopefully…quiet toys.
One of my favorite memories of my parents showing love was Saturday mornings when my daddy would make pancakes in lots of different shapes…hearts, animals, etc. I get to carry on that tradition and show some love at least yearly, as we make Groundhog pancakes on Groundhog Day! We celebrate big!
Thank you, Sally and Julie, for giving us more ideas for loving!❤️
Sally Matheny
Oh, Kristi, I saw some of those adorable photos of your grands with groundhog pancakes. So, so precious! You’re making memories to last lifetimes. And helping your grown daughter is such a demonstration of love–especially at 5:00 a.m.! 🙂
I’ll be praying for your daughter. And not only for safe travels, but sane ones as well. A six-hour flight topped off with a two-hour drive. Yep, that calls for prayer in my opinion.
Thanks for popping in and sharing with us, Kristi.
Janet Smith
I have ordered three of Julie’s book 365 Ways To Love Your Child and have given two away as gifts; one to a new mom and one to a grandmother. They both have thanked me for the book enjoying a new sense of joy spending time with their child/grandchild. I’m trying not to give my copy away hoping to have a grandchild one day to spend time with and show love.
Sally Matheny
Hi, Janet! I’m so glad you stopped by. You’ve chosen a great gift to give! And how wise to shelve a copy for your own future use. Perhaps, while you’re waiting on a grandbaby, there is a child in your community with whom you could share a few of those expressions of love.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us, Janet. Have a joyful day!
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