Bags of Love
The absence of sharing the same physical space as loved ones has been hard for everyone I know. Whether it is missing sharing a meal at the same table as a friend, playing on the playground with cousins, or giving a grandparent a hug, social distancing has left adults and children with a void that is hard to fill.
On a day when I felt like my boys were having a particularly hard time with their feelings of missing their loved ones, I came up with an idea - Bags of Love. I grabbed a stack of red paper bags I had left over from my classroom and we got to work. I explained to my boys that we were going to write names of people we miss on the outside of each bag. Then, every time we missed someone or thought about them, we would add something to their bag. We would continue to add to the bags as long as social distancing was a part of our life. And because we think about those we love A LOT, we will eventually have some very full bags. The best part of our Bags of Love is what will happen once we can hug everyone we love once again. After sharing a long awaited hug, we will be able to give them their bag full of cards, artwork, and other goodies to show them how many times we thought about them while we were apart.
On a day when I felt like my boys were having a particularly hard time with their feelings of missing their loved ones, I came up with an idea - Bags of Love.
These simple paper bags have been a huge source of comfort in our house. My boys and I have both added to the bags. While the boys have included cards and a variety of artwork and crafts, I’ve written cards to loved ones. It’s a project that you can tailor to whatever you have at home. If you don’t have paper bags, use a zipper plastic bag, a box, a gift bag, or a recycled container. Nothing to use as a container? Then make “Posters of Love.” Write each person’s name at the top of a piece of paper. Fill that paper with nice notes and drawings each time you think of them. The purpose of this activity is to take those moments of longing and fill them with something you know will bring your loved one joy.
Want to make your own Bags of Love at home? Check out the free download below. Included are simple directions and a list of ideas for what to put in your bags. We’ve also created some pre-made items you can print, fill out, and drop in the bags to get you started. I recommend having a stack of cards on hand for your kids to grab and easily add to a bag on their own. Maybe they will even decide to hand you a kind note for Mother’s Day.