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Take time out to remind your kids of love

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Summer is in full swing now. Wet bathing suits soak the carpet, bicycles litter the driveway, and perhaps there is something growing in the back of the refrigerator but since you only have 20 minutes to get four kicking kids to karate lessons, you don't have time to find out. You may want to stop all the activity once in a while and remember that you really, really, really do love having children in your life! It might also be helpful to remind your children about love now, too, since they may be spending more time than they want to with their siblings.

“I Love You as Big as the World” is about a bear letting his cub know how big his love is. This sweet story is written by David Van Buren and illustrated beautifully by Tim Warnes. The sentences are simple, straightforward declarations that very young children understand.

You can carry on the same story with your child. Compare your love with places your child is familiar with. “My love is bigger than the park, taller than the slide, wider than the house.”

A familiar favorite story about love is “Guess How Much I Love You” by Sam McBratney with pictures by Anita Jeram. The big rabbit and the little rabbit take turns expressing how much they love each other. Finally the little rabbit goes to sleep and the parent gets in the last word.

This is a nice bedtime story that is reassuring for young children. Older children will catch the indulgent nature of the parent rabbit's expressions as he patiently waits for his little guy to fall asleep.

You and your child can make a love picture. Draw something that reminds you of the love you have for a specific person and glue a photo of the person in the corner of the picture. For example, if your love for Grandpa is “deeper than the ocean” you could draw a big whale in the water and glue on a snapshot of Grandpa. You can make one for each member of the family and decorate a bare wall in your house. In fact, this wall could be a changing art show all summer.

“The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein tells the story of a tree who loved a boy. It demonstrates the theme of love showing the tree giving everything she has to the one she loves.

Help your child learn to give. Clean out a room of your house. Take a field trip to take the leftover items to donate to your favorite charity. Give your child opportunities to give.

Every once in a great while, a book comes along that takes you somewhere completely new. “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane” is that kind of book. It is written by Kate DiCamillo, who also wrote “The Tale of Despereaux” and “Because of Winn-Dixie.” The illustrations by Bagram Ibatoulline add to the story. A china rabbit has an adventure between being lost and found. This, too, is a story about love.

You may want to celebrate your own loved toys after reading this story. You can have a special tea party to honor them with your best china. Edward Tulane would even approve.

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