Say, “I Love You,” with 51 Creative, Love Bank Fillers!

Recently, I wrote a post entitled, Relationship Advice for a Happy Life. It’s all about filling our spouse’s love bank. If you missed this article, you may want to take a moment to check it out. While the previous post provide an overview of the love bank idea, this post focuses on simply ways to communicate “I love you,” though words and actions.

Fifty-one creative ways to say, “I love you.”

1. Say, “I love you,” daily.
2. Smile. It’s one of the easiest way to communicate, “I like having you around.”
3. Greet your spouse with a kiss first thing in the morning.
4. Hug your spouse every time one of you returns from work.
5. Hold hands–often.
6. Open the door for her.
7. Dine by candlelight.
8. Let your spouse pick the movie.
9. When your spouse says, “I love you,” respond with, “I love you back.”
10. Buy your spouse a small gift such as:
    1. A favorite candy.
    2. A single rose.
    3. A cup of coffee.
11. Write a love note by hand. Put it on his or her pillow.
12. Mail a funny, “I love you” card. Yes, you can still do this when the two of you life in the same home.
13. Text your spouse simply to say that you are thinking of  her.
14. If your spouse is focused on his smart-phone, send an “I love you,” text while you are both in the same room.
15. Call your spouse to let him know he is missed.
16. Skype, simply to to say, “I love you.”
17. Send an e-card.
18. Cook your spouse’s favorite meal.
    
19. Attend church together.
20. Play a board game. Here are three of our favorites:
    1. Yikerz – A competitive game with magnets, that will have you jumping and keep you on your toes. It’s a favorite, coffee shop, date night, activity of Jenny and I.
    2. Rory’s Story Cube – An imaginative, non-competitive game, that will get you talking.
    3. Pentago CE Game from Mindtwister USA travel version – It’s Connect Four, with a twist. It’s another coffee shop favorite.
21. Do an inspirational devotional in the morning. Take turns reading. Jenny and especially like: Your Best Life Begins Each Morning: Devotions to Start Every Day of the Year.
22. End your day with a couples devotional. Here are two classics:
    1. Night Light: A Devotional for Couples
    2. The One Year Love Language Minute Devotional (The One Year Signature Series)
23. Bring brownies, or another favorite treat, to your spouse’s work on his birthday.
24. Go through a couple’s book of questions, such as:
    1. 365 Questions For Couples – Jenny and I went though this book together while we were dating. We have some awesome memories of these times together.
    2. 101 Conversation Starters for Couples (101 Conversations Starters) – Another great date-night resource.
25. Volunteer together at a:
    1. Church nursery or Sunday school.
    2. Local soup kitchen.
    3. Holiday event such as Angel Tree or a kids trunk-or-treat night.
26. Take lots of pictures together. Post them on Facebook and tag your partner for yearly reminders of the great time you had as a couple. Jenny and I love getting regular updates with the Facebook, timeline updates.
27. Create a photo album of your favorite moments using Shutterfly. You can work on this project together, or surprise your spouse with the gift.
28. Do one of your spouses chores for him. Be sure to leave a love-note on the complete project. Here are some ideas to get you started:
    1. Wash the dishes.
    2. Take out the trash.
    3. Sweep the floors.
    4. Wash the laundry.
29. Cook a meal together.
30. Give a back-rub.
31. Laugh at each other’s jokes.
32. Take a walk together.
    
33. Listen–I mean really listen–when she talks about her day.
34. Gaze into each other’s eyes.
35. Pause to enjoy the sunset.
36. Bake a cake and celebrate her un-birthday (think Alice in Wonderland), just to show her how special she is.
37. Watch a children’s movie together. Big Hero 6, is a new, family favorite.
38. Attend a couples retreat at church.
39. Go hiking.
40. Ask your spouse to teach you an activity or hobby he or she does well.
41. Notice the little things like:
    1. When he gets the oil changed in the car.
    2. When she gets her hair or nails done.
    3. When a room gets clean.

And always say, “thank you,” or make a kind comment.

43. Play an online game together. I’ve listed two favorites below. Both can be downloaded free on your smartphone.
    1. Words with friends
    2. Spaceteam – A family favorite and even better on a double-date. The ridiculous words, and crazy teamwork, are great for laughs and happy memories.
44. Read a personal-growth book together. Great books for couples include:
    1. How We Love: Discover Your Love Style, Enhance Your Marriage – An awesome book for bringing couples with different attachment styles together.
    2. His Needs, Her Needs: Building an Affair-Proof Marriage – The book where I first came across the idea of the love bank.
    3. The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts – A must read for couples serious about filling each other’s love banks. Knowing your spouses love language will help you communicate, “I love you,” in a way that is meaningful to your spouse.
45. Go camping.
46. Take a road trip.
47. Commit to finding the good in each other. Point our your spouses positives often.
48. Start a garden together.
49. Take dance lessons. Jenny and I did this together shortly before getting married. It was incredibly fun. And this is coming from a guy who doesn’t dace.
50. Take your spouse in a double-date with close friends, or with couple who has just started to date.
51. Work together to write a guest-post for this blog. Then share what you have been learning about keeping your relationship strong, with the world! For guest-post guidelines, e-mail me at jed@coffeeshopconversations.com 🙂
    [Tweet “Happy couples communicate their love often. Frequent, small acts of love, make a big difference.”]

I would love to hear from you. What simple ways of saying, “I love you,” would you add to this list? Have any of these fifty-one ideas worked well for you? I look forward to continuing our conversation in the comments below!