How to Teach your Kids the Lost Art of the Handwritten Thank You Note

Handwritten thank you notes are a lost art. Let’s bring them back!

I was watching The Chew the other day and they were discussing things of old that they would like to bring back. One of the hosts mentioned that he misses handwritten thank you notes.My mom always had me write thank you notes after my birthday parties or special events. I honestly grew up thinking it was just something you do. It was not until I was much older that I realized that a hand written note is becoming rare. I recently shared how to host a stress free birthday party for a toddler and today I want to share how to teach your children the lost art of the handwritten thank you note.

First things first. How do you write a good thank you note?

Make a list

Write down the gifts as they are unwrapped. This is extremely helpful when writing thank you notes later. Find someone that is willing to write down who gave what gifts during the party. That way you can focus on the fun.

Write your notes in a timely manner

I don’t know about you but if I wait too long to do something it may never happen. I try to do thank you notes with in a few weeks after the event.

Keep it simple

A thank you note does not have to be anything fancy. Short and sweet is all you need. First, thank your guest for attending the event. Next, you can thank them for the gift and let them know how you will enjoy using it. End with another thank you.

Now to the fun stuff, including the kids

Let them sign the note

Include your kids by having them sign the thank you note. Explain to them why people write thank you notes. Tell them who the note is for. Make sure they feel a part of the process.If your child is older they can write the thank you notes themselves. This is a wonderful way for them to practice showing appreciation to others.

Turn it into a craft

My daughter loves to do art projects. I decided we would make a dedicated thank you note craft. I cut contact paper into shapes and then helped my munchkin to glue them onto paper. My daughter then colored and made them “pretty”, as she likes to put it.I wrote the thank you notes with the help of the list made at her birthday party. The last step was having my daughter sign inside the card. We talked about who each card was for and why we were giving them one. She was so proud of these thank you notes!

As you can see, handwritten thank you notes are completely doable. Remember:

Make a listWrite your notes in a timely manorKeep it simpleInvolve the kids whenever possible

While the hand written thank you note may be a lost art to many it will not be a lost art for my family. I am truly grateful that my mom taught me the importance of writing thank you notes when I was young. I hope to do the same for my kids.

Do you send hand written thank you notes? If you could bring back something of old, what would it be?