Best Meaningful Words of Affirmation Gifts for Friends

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Struggling to think of a words of affirmation gift for your best friend?

Or maybe you are the words of affirmation person, being asked for a material gift idea when really all you want is to feel acknowledged?

Words of Affirmation is one of the hardest love languages to find gifts for! This post has the ideas to help you get the perfect gift for your friend.

What are love languages?

Dr. Gary Chapman, the author of the original Five Love Languages book, was recently interviewed in the New York Times, and he talked about how love languages have stood the test of time for thirty years.

The five love languages are:

quality time (“I feel loved when you make time for me and show me I am a priority.”)
acts of service (“I feel loved when you take care of me and show that you will put me ahead of yourself.”)
physical touch (“I feel loved when you touch me affectionately and show me that you are comfortable with me.”)
receiving gifts (“I feel loved when you use gifts to show you were thinking of me.”)
words of affirmation (“I feel loved when you use words to show that you pay attention to me and value me.”)

Really it’s not quite as simple as all that and most of us are overlapping! I am mostly quality time, but I value loving touch and will never turn down a home-cooked meal. But most of us do have our main love languages.

A lot of the discussion of love languages is about your romantic partner, or focused on marriages and romantic relationships.

But you can use these to understand a family member or your closest friends too. Once you know that person’s love language, it’s easier to meet their needs. It’s a great way to pick thoughtful words of affirmation gifts for friends that are going to show your love and appreciation for the people around you.

What if we have different love languages?

The love languages are not a way of figuring out if two people are compatible or if you and someone else belong together. Rather, they help you understand what the other person in a relationship or friendship needs in order to feel valued.

Otherwise, a person might automatically use their own love language to try to show love to others, and that’s not always what others want. Using the love languages to understand what others need helps us meet their needs, and helps us tell others what we want and need.

For me personally, I am a quality time person, and my husband and best friend are both words of affirmation people. We have different ways of receiving love from one another, and what fills my cup doesn’t fill either of theirs.

I have had to learn to send a quick text with some positive words to my best friend to meet her needs, because it’s not always possible for us to spend as much time together as I would like. And she understands that, if it’s been a while since we’ve gotten together, that I am probably feeling a little low in the relationship.

For my husband, it’s been learning that he needs to hear a thank you and to be verbally appreciated for things that I might not feel the need for myself; likewise, he has had to learn that I don’t need a million thank yous, I need a little uninterrupted time together when the kids go to bed.

Nobody is right or wrong–it’s just about knowing what someone you love needs and showing up to give it to them.

What is the words of affirmation love language?

Did you know that words of affirmation is actually the most common love language?

When someone has the words of affirmation love language, a little praise goes a long way.

That person craves your praise, active listening, and words of love.

More so than the other love languages, a words of affirmation friend needs to hear that you are paying attention to them, that they have a positive impact, and that they have your undivided attention.

It also means that they are more sensitive than most people would be to a negative comment or harsh words. These can be very painful to those people.

In some ways the words of affirmation people are pretty self-explanatory — they just want you to say that you love them! And having a person offer affirmation is easier than some of the other love languages.

But on the other hand, if you find it difficult to express yourself, it can be really hard to meet your friend’s needs. Or, if you feel the pressure to constantly be coming up with new things to say…it can start to feel more like English class than a friendship.

So let’s take a look at some perfect ideas for words of affirmation gifts for friends. One of the nicest things about our words of affirmation people is that what they really need from us is free! So I’ve split this post up by price range. (Underneath these suggestions, we can talk about what to say!)

Totally free words of affirmation gifts for friends ideas

a social media post. If your friend isn’t shy, putting up a post on one of your social accounts with a picture or two (or a lot!) of your friend with a paragraph about what they mean to you and what their friendship means is a great idea that costs nothing. Some friends would be comfortable with so many different people seeing their words of affirmation and some people wouldn’t, so think about what your friend would want. But for someone who doesn’t mind the limelight, a social media post can be a words of affirmation gift that is even more meaningful!
A text or note. Squeezing something into your daily routine to let your friend know that you appreciate her can do a lot to lift a words of affirmation person up! Texts or written notes (or a post-it for a work friend) can do a lot to give her a great start to her day.
A love letter. (Almost free!) If you don’t mind the extra cost of a stamp, a snail mail letter is just so special. Getting unexpected mail from a friend and then finding that the letter is full of the positive words that you needed to hear is just the best gift! And a written letter lets you get creative: include little treats or drawings, or an old photo, or a ticket stub from your first concert. This is as meaningful to a next-door neighbor as it is to a friend across the country. A handmade card can also be a free option that you can fill with kind words.
Other things you can make: a pack of homemade gift certificates or deck of affirmation cards that are personalized to your friend. “Good for one pep talk”, “Good for one love song”, “Good for one rant” could all make good gift certificate themes for people who want words of affirmation. If you do the affirmation cards, make them all very personalized to your friend and her strong traits. You don’t want it to feel generic.

Under-$10 words of affirmation gifts for friends

If you have a little bit of money to spend, maybe you would like to buy a small gift from their interests and send a letter with it. Or, maybe think about one of these:

Greeting card, or a personalized card. A heartfelt card is exactly what your friend is looking for. I think grocery store cards get a bad rap, but some of them can be great. If you spend the time to find the right card, then add more of your own personal writing, your recipient will be happy. If you can spend a little more, though, you can get personalized cards on Etsy with any text you want. I think it would be so funny to put an inside joke on the front and then your personal messages inside.
One of the beaded bracelets that you see everywhere right now. These are easily bought but even more easily made, and making it yourself gives you the option of a completely personalizing it. If you’re able to pick a word that is makes it very clear that you didn’t buy it in a gift shop, I think that goes a long way.

“Big” gifts for words of affirmation people

But sometimes you need to buy a graduation present, wedding or bridal shower present, or gift for a significant birthday for a person who might not be so motivated by gifts. Not every occasion calls for an art project or a $10 gift and sometimes you have to find something for a higher price.

When you need a big gift, I think the most effective way to make it meaningful to someone who values words of affirmation is to engrave it!

Consider prioritizing a jewelry purchase (or a watch for men) that could be engraved with a short and meaningful affirmation that will remind them of your love and gratitude.

I feel like engraving has gone out of style, but when you are handed down an engraved piece of jewelry from a family member it means a lot more.

(If you need suggestions on what to engrave–scroll down!)

Words of Affirmation Examples for When You Don’t Know What to Say

Okay, so now you’ve got a gift idea. But words of affirmation gifts for friends are also about what you say!

But for some people, having a words of affirmation friend is hard. Sometimes you just don’t know what to say!

For some of us, even though the love is there, the words aren’t always. It isn’t always easy to know what to say to someone who mostly values words of affirmation. That can make it hard to meet your friend’s needs.

So here are some different ways to express love and gratitude for your friend.

Here are some sentence starters that will help you get writing:

I love you so much because…
You are always the person who…
Before we were friends, I never…
You bring out ______ in me when you ____.
It’s been a long time, but I have never forgotten _____.
You are the most ______ person in my life.
I can always rely on you to _____, and that means _____ to me.
When you ___(as specific as you can be)__, I feel ______.
I was thinking about the time that _____ and I just felt so grateful that _____.
I really appreciate the way you always _____.
Around you, I feel like….
I wish I had your ________.

And here’s an example of words of affirmation in a just-because note for my real-life words of affirmation best friend!

I was thinking about the time you invented that coffee drink with the mango in it and wanted to send you a note. (It was gross!) But you were so funny about it. I did not love the drink but I did love the promotional posters you made. You have always been able to get people interested in whatever you were doing. I miss you so much and I can’t wait for you to get back. I hope you have another big idea soon.

What works about this note, and what is worth pushing for in your writing to your friend, is that it’s very specific. Generic words of affirmation like “I love you” or “You’re the best” still feel good. But these highly specific notes will feel amazing. They say: you are important to me and I am paying attention to you and remembering.

Do you have a words of affirmation loved one who needs to hear these words? Try it out today!

really well, thanks!