Designate one day a week to let your child plan a family outing or activity Let them decide the day’s meals, a mini vacation or road trip, pick out a movie or set the radio stations in the car. This lets your child know that his or her opinions are important to you and that you enjoy learning about his or her interests.

What are simple ways you can let your child make decisions in your household?

T -3 days until TELL YOUR CHILD I LOVE YOU DAY! Monday is the big day — have you made your plans yet? If so, share your recommendations here!

In good weather, sit outside with your child and watch the world go by, even if it’s only for 10 minutes. This will give you quality time together and teach your child to appreciate the simple things in life. Entertainment doesn’t always come at a price – you can enjoy the beauty of the world together for free. Other free, outdoor adventures might include visiting your neighborhood park and playing on the playground together, hiking a nearby trail or collecting seashells on the beach.

What other price-friendly activities do you enjoy doing with your child?

T -4 days until TELL YOUR CHILD YOU LOVE THEM DAY! A fun way to express love to your children on this day could include packing a special note in their lunch box that says, “I love you! Have a wonderful day!” — especially when packed along with their favorite lunch food items.

Love Your Child Month is winding down in preparation of Tell Your Child You Love Them Day on August 31 — just 5 more days! Have you thought about how you are going to tell your child that you love them? Make it a point to hug your child a little longer before he or she goes off to school and look them in the eye when you tell them “I love you — have a good day at school today.”

Tip #18: Keep your commitments. If you’ve made plans with your children, do everything you can to keep them. Breaking promises teaches your kids that it’s okay to not keep your word. Create a household calendar where you and your child can see it. Each time you agree to do something together, make it a point to write it down on the calendar together so that the commitment is solidified in front of the two of you. It’s a great source of accountability and makes it much harder to forget your commitment.

One of your most important aspects of parenting is to help your child develop his or her self-esteem. Your child needs your steady support and encouragement to discover his/her strengths. He/she needs you to believe in them as they learn to believe in themselves. Loving them, spending time with them, listening to them and praising their accomplishments are all part of this process.

Take your child to a free bike repair session or writing workshop at Discovery Green and praise them for the hard work they put into it. Set up a sticker system at home that tracks your child’s successes – each time your child gets an A in class, completes a chore or wins an award at school, to reinforce their positive behaviors.

T – 6 days until Tell Your Child Your Love Them day! A fun idea might be to color a card for your child — much in the same way that they might make a card for you on Mother’s or Father’s Day — and to give it to them before going off to school that day.

We’re officially counting down the days to Tell Your Child You Love Them Day! T – 7 days!

Use plenty of positive words with your child. Try to avoid using sarcasm with your child. They often don’t understand it, and if they do, it creates a negative interaction. Respond promptly and lovingly to your child’s physical and emotional needs and banish put-downs from your parenting vocabulary. Praise them for what they do well instead of criticizing what they struggle with; use “can” instead of “can’t,” “good job!” instead of “could have done better,” a pat on the back instead of rolling your eyes. They’ll feel encouraged and respected. 

What are some common phrases used today that could potentially send negative messages to a child?

The weekends are a perfect time to put this Love Your Child month tip into action:

Make something with your child. It will give you time together, a chance to engage yourselves in creativity and will leave you with something tangible to capture the memory. Build a birdhouse or bake brownies; bejewel a pair of your favorite sunglasses or try string art; put together a picnic basket, thread friendship bracelets, write out messages in a bottle, build a kite and scrapbook all your craft-making adventures!

When is the last time you crafted something with your kids, and what did you make?

Tip #14 of Love Your Child month: make family routines and traditions. Try sharing at least one meal as a family every day. If weekdays are impossible, then every weekend. Children like routines, and it can be a great time for sharing the day’s events. Some local ideas for starting a family tradition could include trips to Buffalo Bayou and Buffalo Bayou Art Park, volunteering at local soup kitchens or shelters, hanging out at the Kemah Boardwalk, or just staying in and having a family movie night in the living room together!

Did your family have special traditions when you were growing up? What were they, and why did you appreciate them?

One of the most important ways to show your child love is by loving yourself. Take the time to take care of yourself! If you are tired, ill or just worn out, you cannot be an effective parent. Eat healthfully, get enough sleep, take occasional breaks from parenting if possible, and enlist the support of family, friends and neighbors when things seem overwhelming. Organize your schedule, delegate tasks you would normally undertake and give them to other people, turn off your phone every once in a while, take a nap, visit a museum. Discovery Green in Houston offers a variety of free activities during its Healthy Living in the Park series — free zumba and yoga, bike repair classes, writing workshops and more. Whatever it is that re-energizes you, do it! When you’re rejuvenated and take care of yourself, you can better take care of your children.

 How will you take care of yourself today so that you can better love your child tomorrow?

Today’s tip for Love Your Child month is about being your child’s first source of information. Encouraging your children to ask questions now makes it easier for them to ask questions when they are older. By answering questions from your child with honesty and openness, you can create a relationship of mutual trust and respect.Do you remember who you used to turn to to ask questions when you were your child’s age? What topics do you anticipate your child having questions about?

Love Your Child month continues with this double-duty tip: Build your child’s brain and body. Provide healthful meals and snacks and model good eating habits. Encourage exercise by being active with your child and limiting time in front of the television or video games. Support your child’s efforts in school and provide opportunities to learn by visiting the library, exploring museums, zoos or other places of interest.

The Contemporary Arts Museum in Houston is always free to visitors — why not stretch your body and mind by strolling over to enjoy some stimulating art? Other free, family-friendly, body-and-mind enhancing activities in Houston you can do today include a visit to the Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum, Contemporary Arts Museum, Holocaust Museum, Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Houston Center for Photography, The Jung Center, Lawndale Art Center, the Menil Collection, Rice University Art Gallery, or the Rothko Chapel.

Have you visited any of these exhibits before? What were your thoughts? Please post other local, free and family-friendly ideas in the comments section below!