Big Love with Hallmark Poster Cards for Kids

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I don’t know if you’ve bought any cards for kids lately, but let me tell you, they sure are different now than they were when I was little!  Not only do they feature popular characters and fun sentiments like they always have, now you can get so much more than just a card!  There are all kinds of options; cards with door hangers, cards with bookmarks, cards with pins, cards with music and lights, and perhaps my favorite of all, Hallmark Poster Cards.

As most of you know, Little Crafter recently celebrated his 6th birthday, so of course I needed to find him a special card.  He absolutely loves the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, as evidenced by his epic TMNT party, but he’s also a huge fan of a few other things too…Paw Patrol, Phineas & Ferb, and Disney’s Planes.  While we were on vacation, we took him to see Planes Fire & Rescue in the theater and he was thrilled.

He’s liked Dusty Crophopper ever since the first Planes movie came out and now he also thinks Bladerunner is an awesome hero.  So, I knew he would love a card featuring those characters.  Here’s the best part, though…the card I found has a special surprise.  Check it out.  It starts as a standard size card that can be placed in an envelope and even mailed just like any other greeting card.

And when you open it up, just as you would expect, there’s a birthday wish inside…but that’s not all!

There’s more unfolding to do…

…and a little bit more…Little Crafter couldn’t wait to get it all the way open!

Ta-Da!  A full size poster of Dusty, Bladerunner, and the gang!  It’s the perfect size for hanging on Little Crafter’s bedroom door.

It was like a bonus to find a card that doubled as an extra little gift for the birthday boy!  Plus, with the Hallmark Card Rewards Program, you even get extra benefits; for every five Hallmark cards you buy at Walmart, you get a reward!  You get to choose your own reward from a list that includes e-gift cards for things like a free rental from Redbox and…get this…a $5 gift card to Starbucks!  {Can you tell I signed up?!}  Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go buy four more cards…

He was so excited about it and could hardly wait to display it.  It’s amazing to me sometimes just how easy it is to delight a child and how little things can go a long way to show our love.  We don’t have to spend a fortune to let our kids know how special they are; sometimes the small things end up communicating love in a big way.  I put together a quick list of ways you can show love to your kiddos that don’t require a ton of money or time {although your kids would be more than happy to get both of those things too}.  Take a look…

1. Put a love note inside his/her lunchbox.
Growing up, I always looked forward to lunchtime at school, because I knew I’d find a note from my mom on my napkin.  Today, I continue the tradition of tucking a little note into LC’s lunch so that he has a reminder in the middle of the day that I’m thinking of him and love him, no matter what kind of day he’s having!

2. Come up with a secret, silent code just for the two of you.
Our top secret code is a series of hand squeezes.  When we’re holding hands walking somewhere, if I squeeze LC’s hand three times, it means, “I love you.” He likes to squeeze back five times for, “I love you the most.” No one else even knows we’re communicating, but it’s a secret, special moment that we both cherish.

3. Use a special phrase that expresses your love for each other.
Find a phrase that means something to you.  It could be, “I love you to the moon and back.” Or, “You are my sunshine.” Or anything you like at all that expresses your relationship with that child.  Say it and write it often so that it’s a reminder of the bond you have.  LC and I like to play a game where I say, “I love you more than Starbucks.” Then he’ll say, “I love you more than all my stuffies put together.” And we continue back and forth.

4. Surprise your child with a favorite treat after school.
Little Crafter loves donuts.  And they cost about 99 cents.  But the look in his eyes when I pick him up from carpool with a strawberry frosted donut in a bag just for him?  Priceless.

5. Send your child a card in the mail.  Bonus points for sending a poster card from Hallmark.
Everyone loves mail.  Real, got-it-out-of-the-mailbox mail.  So send some!  Let your child have the joy of seeing his or her name on the envelope, tearing it open, and getting an extra reminder of how special he/she is to you!

6. Put a post-it note on your child’s mirror or somewhere else you know he/she will find it.
Love notes aren’t just for lunchboxes!  Stick one on the mirror.  Stick one in the drawer with the shirts or socks.  Stick one in the backpack.  Stick one on the fridge.  Heck, stick them everywhere!  And on each one, write an affirmation, like “you are loved,” “you’re awesome at art,” “you have beautiful eyes,” “you are great at soccer,”…what could be more fun than finding and reading those?

7. Give your child a special something to keep in his/her pocket as a reminder when you’re apart.
My mentor Sarah once told me that she always carries a library card in her pocket.  It was given to her by her son who told her that when they’re apart, she’s only on loan to those other people…she belongs to him.  There’s something incredibly special about having something with you at all times to remind you of who and what are most important in your life.  Perhaps it’s a small stone with a word written on it.  Maybe it’s a little felt heart.  A coin with a special year on it.  A metal stamped charm…any kind of little treasure that reminds your child of you when you can’t be together.  Just make sure it’s something that’s durable and can go through the wash, just in case they forget to take it out of their pocket sometimes!

8. Let your child overhear you bragging about him/her to your spouse or a friend.
This one is totally free and might mean more to your child than any other.  We all have lots of reasons we’re proud of our kids.  And we might be awesome at telling them so.  But somehow it means more when they hear you telling other people.  Make sure they’re within earshot and then mention to your spouse or friend what a great job they’re doing in karate, or how they aced their last test.  Sometimes we do this in the car when LC is in the back playing on his kindle.  We know he’s paying attention, but we act like we’re just talking to each other and unaware of his listening ears.

9. Show up for an event that’s important to your child.
I can’t even put into words how much it means to a child for you to show up.  Baseball games, chorus concerts, school plays…whatever it is, if it’s important to them, do whatever is in your power to be there.  I know it’s not always a possibility, but whenever it is, do it.  It will mean more than you’ll ever know.

10. Tell your child the things you love most about him/her.
Little Crafter is still at the age where he loves to have bedtime cuddles.  One of my absolute favorite things in life is to lay there with him stroking his hair and just listing out affirmations to him.  As he drifts off to sleep, the last things he’s hearing are things like, “You are so creative.  You are so kind to your friends.  You are thoughtful and caring.  You are great at math, especially adding.  You are a gift to me…” Priceless.  I get those moments to speak truth over him and instill those things in his heart so that when someone tries to tear him down, he can hold onto what he knows is true.  

What about you?  What are some of your favorite little ways to show big love to your kids?

P.S. Make sure you check out the Hallmark website to sign up for Hallmark Rewards, and to see great content from other bloggers. Plus, join in the #kidscards conversation on Twitter!