It started with a smash cake when she turned one. A layered sponge cake with pink frosting. The cake had dark shades of pink frosting on the top and gradually got to shades of light pink toward the bottom of the cake tower. Whipping cream was sandwiched between each layer.

This year she had a milestone birthday. I marked it by making a frozen vanilla cream cake topped with fresh strawberries. I found the recipe in the Nebraskaland magazine. Every year it is a different recipe, but the ritual remains.

Custom cake is one of the “I love you” rituals I do with my child. Baking for her is a way to show my daughter my love for her.

As an educator we show our children and their families love too.

“I love you” rituals can be the way we design our environments, create our curriculum, play, and more. The first week in April we have a ritual that shows children how much we love them when communities across America celebrate Week of the Young Child (WOYC). This “I love You” ritual has been going strong for 50+ years. Happy Birthday, WOYC! I love celebrating your birthday. And many more…!

Note: I wrote this for the Buffett Early Childhood Institute blog. Click on this link if you want to read it on the Buffett Institute website. Thank you Erin Duffy and Buffett team for inviting me to share this experience with your readers.