It started with a note I wrote for my son while we were practicing his letters one day. You make my heart happy. “What does that say, Mom?” he asked. As I read it back to him, his eyes lit up and a smile spread across his face.

He beamed just as big when I wrote, “You are special,” out of the magnets on his dry-erase board a few days later.

I started leaving more notes, and his reactions were priceless every time.

The thing is, he’s used to hearing me say I love you several times a day, but the tangible reminders of my love that he can see and touch—even on the most chaotic days? It turns out there’s something really special about those.

After seeing how much those written affirmations mean to my little guy, I’m making it a personal mission to put pen to paper more often—and with Valentine’s Day coming up, what better time to start?

There’s a tradition floating around Pinterest that I absolutely adore. Each morning in February, parents write a loving affirmation on a heart and stick it to their child’s bedroom doors. The idea is that no matter what else is going on in their world, our kids will start the day knowing: 

They are precious.

They make us proud.

They are important.

And above all, they are loved. So, so very loved.

Isn’t that exactly how we want them to feel—not only on Valentine’s Day, but always?

I love this idea because it’s simple, free, and powerful. And what better way to get in the habit of leaving more notes for our kids year-round than to start with one month? I’m excited to give it a go with not only my oldest son, but my younger two kids as well. 

Once the month is over, we’ll stick all of the heart notes in this cute scrapbook, where they can see them any time they want (or need) to be built up by words of love.

Sure, my kids will wake up to a few other goodies on Valentine’s Day, and I’ll probably attempt to make waffles with cute little strawberry-heart eyes (because let’s be real, Mama can’t help herself), but I’m confident the handwritten hearts will mean more to them than any other valentine ever could. 

P.S. For Mission: Love Note, I’ll be using these colorful heart sticky notes. No way do I have the time (or patience) to spend cutting out a gazillion paper hearts. Here are a few of our other Valentine’s Day favorites!

Recommendations in this post contain affiliate links. Her View From Home may receive a small commission if you choose to purchase.