5 Easy Ways to Grow a Culture of Love in Your Home

Home should be the warmest, most welcoming, and encouraging place to be. Whether your home includes a roommate, a partner, young kiddos, teenagers, or yes, even a pet, there are easy ways you can make the people you share your space with feel seen, known, and loved. Here are a few of our favorites - add them to your PowerSheets® goal planner as daily, weekly, or monthly action items!

P.S. An easy way to spread the love in your home? Writing a quick and encouraging note! We have greeting cards and colorful postcards you'll love.

1. Study the people in your home. For your closest loved ones, it's worth putting the time in to understand their love languages, their Enneagram type, or your personality framework of choice. Think of it as a shortcut to maximum impact for whatever gesture you're putting your effort into! We like following the Nine Types Co. for Enneagram insight.

2. Show them love in the way that makes them feel most loved. Once you know more about what makes them tick, use that intel to speak right to their heart, even if it's not how you would feel most loved! For a roommate who loves acts of service, that might look like picking up a chore occasionally. For a preschooler who loves quality time, that might mean spending a few minutes reading together after siblings go to bed. For a husband who loves words of affirmation, that might mean tucking a note into his wallet. Intentionally taking in their love language even once a week can make a huge difference in the tone of your home.

3. Acknowledge their presence. Wow, this sounds basic, but how many times do the people we love walk into a room and we don't look up from our book, phone, computer, TV show, or dinner recipe? Instead of a distracted "hi" over your shoulder, make it a point to stop what you're doing and greet the person with a big smile. This small change can go so far in reminding people they are loved and adored without a single word being exchanged.

4. Set a rhythm of undistracted time together. Remember that quality and consistency goes much farther than quantity, here. On a regular rhythm (daily/weekly/monthly/yearly), set aside time to simply enjoy each other. For kiddos, that might look like 15 minutes a day of fully-focused play time (their choice of activity!), a weekly errand run together, and a quarterly hike, just the two of you. For a spouse, maybe it's 15 minutes of connecting conversation before bed (no phones allowed), a weekly date night in, and a long weekend away each year.

It's not possible (or even desirable!) to be 100% present with everyone 100% of the time, but small deposits of attention, made regularly, add up to a big relationship investment.

5. Make time for traditions that celebrate your unique bond. Believing that your relationship is special and unique is a big part of strengthening it - and celebrating it with fun traditions only reinforces the bond you share! This could look like roommates sitting down for Taco Tuesday together, a couple celebrating the anniversary of their first date, or a family marking the "Gotcha Day" of an adopted kiddo. 

We'd love to hear: how do you grow a culture of love in your home? What types of things do you do to make sure your home feels warm and loving to the people who live with you?