101 Acts of Service Love Language Examples and Ideas

The Acts of Service Love Language can be a tricky one! Sometimes date night just isn’t enough. If you’re looking for some ideas, I have 101 acts of service examples and ideas for your spouse to help you show your special someone just how much they mean to you.

Recently, I picked up a copy of the book The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts by Gary Chapman and read it cover to cover. It should come as no surprise that my “love language” is a frugal one: Words of Affirmation. My husband has the Acts of Service love language.

Thankfully his primary love language is also very budget-friendly, as most acts of service require little or no monetary cost, just time and effort!

I’ve been working lately on understanding how my husband feels love. For a while, I fell into the bad habit of assuming that we spoke the same love languages.

I would tell him I love him all the time, but sometimes it just didn’t seem like enough.

Finally after reading the book, and having both of us take the love language quiz, I realized that his primary love language requires me to not only tell him how much I love him, but show him through acts of service. For him, and other folks with this love language, actions really do speak louder than words!

Does this mean that I am now my husband’s slave? Not at all! It simply means that I go out of my way now to show him that I care and that he’s on my mind.

I sat him down and asked what kind of things would show him that I loved him? Most of his responses were simple, thoughtful things that just showed him I was thinking about him.

I sat down to brainstorm some of these ideas, so that I would have a little running list of inspiration to refer to if I ever needed a little prompting.

I decided to share this list with my you all, because no matter what your love language is, sometimes its nice to do a little (or a big) something for someone else, whether for a special occasion, or just to show them you care!

What are The 5 Love Languages?

The Five Love Languages are based on a book by Gary Chapman by the same name. There’s SO much great info in this book about communication and how to express love in a way that ensures the recipient’s needs are met emotionally so that they feel the love. That’s the really short version.

The Five Love Languages are:

Acts of Service
Words of Affirmation
Receiving Gifts
Quality Time
Physical Touch

What is the Acts of Service Love Language?

Actions speak louder than words for people whose Love Language is Acts of Service. They feel most loved when someone is doing things for them. The key thing to remember with this Love Language is “show, don’t tell”.

Well, that’s not entirely true, because you can TELL them also, but they need to SEE it in order to feel it.

Acts of Service don’t have to be grand sweeping gestures, in fact they are most effective when they are little, everyday “luxuries” for your partner.

It’s not about being their slave or taking on everything, but rather showing them you care by doing something a little extra to brighten their day.

What is your Love Language?

If you haven’t yet done so, you and your partner need to find out what your Love Language is. To do that, you need to take the Love Language Quiz which you can find here on Gary Chapman’s website.

101 Acts of Service Love Language Ideas:

1. Make them a cup of tea

2. Do a simple repair project off their to-do list

3. Make a favorite meal

4. Surprise them at work with their favorite coffee drink

5. Get an oil change for their car or do it yourself.

6. Make a special dessert

7. Have dinner ready when they get home

8. Walk the dog

9. Do their least-favorite chore for them

10. Put a love note in their lunch

11. Make them a lunch for work

12. Surprise them with their favorite treat

13. Let them choose the movie, complete with a themed gift basket (and actually enjoy watching it with them)

14. Give them uninterrupted video game time or time to watch a sporting event

15. Offer them a back rub

16. Draw them a bubble bath

17. Detail their car, inside and out

18. Warm a towel in the dryer for after their shower

19. Clean the cat litter box

20. Do an errand for them (like picking up dry cleaning)

21. Take out the trash

22. Make a donation in their name

23. Go to the museum or an exhibit they have been dying to see

24. Fold all the socks in their sock drawer

25. Pick up a small trinket they’d like but wouldn’t buy for themself

26. Shine their shoes

27. Bathe and groom the dog

28. Hold the doors open

29. Drop them off at the door and then park the car

30. Do the one thing they’ve been bugging you to do BEFORE they have to bug you again

31. Put the kids to bed

32. Pick up a bottle of their favorite wine or a case of their favorite beer.

33. Give them a night “off” to do whatever they want without complaint

34. Do a home improvement project they’ve been asking for (like building floating shelves or tiling a backsplash!)

35. Treat them to a night at a hotel

36. Get them new insoles for their shoes

37. Pick up their prescriptions

38. Make the phone call they’re avoiding (like calling your insurance company. Blegh)

39. Stop by during their lunch hour at work with lunch for two

40. Offer them a foot massage

41. Do something they forgot (without chastising)

42. Ask if they need you to pick anything up on the way home

43. Offer to take care of the kids if they normally do it

44. Bring them dinner if they have to work late

45. Bake them cupcakes

46. Iron their shirts

47. Bring them lemonade or ice water when they’re doing yard work

48. Clean their computer monitor

49. Be the designated driver so they can enjoy a couple cocktails on your next date night

50. Ask “how can I make your day better?”

51. Change a burnt-out light bulb

52. Let them park in the garage

53. Stargaze with them

54. Surprise them with a bonfire and s’mores

55. Leave thoughtful notes where they will see them

56. Send flowers to work

57. Frame their favorite inspirational quote

58. Buy them a greeting card just because

59. Wash their favorite coffee mug

60. Print and frame their favorite photo

61. Plan a romantic date night with their favorite things

62. Buy them lottery scratch off tickets

63. Untangle a mess of cords (like the ones behind their desk!)

64. Surprise them with a gift card for their favorite store

65. Shovel the snow for them without being asked

66. Write a love letter

67. Make them a mixed CD or a special iPod playlist

68. Create a scavenger hunt

69. Give them a mini-neck and shoulder massage at their desk

70. Bring treats for their office

71. Offer to hang out with their friends (without complaint!)

72. Load and unload the dishwasher

73. Look for opportunities to serve

74. Pamper them

75. Pick up a new pair of headphones for their iPod

76. Make them breakfast in bed

77. Make them breakfast not in bed. Bacon and cream cheese stuffed waffles perhaps?

78. Fresh squeeze orange juice

79. Play the role of sous chef-chop and prep while they cook

80. Take care of the bill paying (the actual act of mailing off bills or submitting payments online)

81. Go to their favorite concern (even if you’re wearing earplugs)

82. Organize a surprise party for their birthday (and take them out to enjoy some birthday freebies!)

83. Play bartender for their friends at your next get-together

84. Make them a healthy smoothie

85. Give them a pedicure

86. Remember to put the seat down

87. Make them a coupon book with coupons for various tasks or favors you’ll do

88. Do a flirty striptease for them

89. Plug in their phone if they forget

90. Say “Can I help you with that, honey?” and then do it!

91. Learn something new for them (their native language, how to operate a tablesaw, whatever you think they’d appreciate)

92. Subscribe them to a magazine they might like

93. Offer to wash their hair for them (this is not for everyone-anyone remember the Sex and the City Episode where Steve wanted to wash Miranda’s hair?)

94. Take over a project they’ve been putting off

95. Let them sleep in

96. Do all the legwork and research for an upcoming vacation with their likes in mind

97. Hire them a maid for a day, or better yet, deep clean the whole house top to bottom

98. Ask their advice and follow it without question

99. Seek opportunities to be helpful (grab their coat or purse for them, bring them the cup they forgot in the other room, etc.)

100. Thank them for the acts of service they do for you.

101. Help them come up with 101 Acts of Service ideas for their blog post (Thank you honey!)

Even though Valentine’s Day has come and gone, you can still focus on serving your spouse or significant other. If Acts of Service is YOUR Love Language, maybe send your sweetheart the link to this post as a gentle nudge in the right direction.

Don’t forget to “pin” it on Pinterest to make sure you can find these ideas later!

If you have a favorite that I missed, tell us about it in the comments!

What other Acts of Service you can you think of?