hat child doesn’t love get-
ting gifts? What if kids
approached writing thank-
you notes for those gifts
with the same love?
Learning to write thank-you notes can
be fun, and it’s something kids of any age
can do. First, a few points about thank-you
note etiquette:
• Your child should acknowledge every
gift, no matter how small, with a thank-you
note. Some parents feel that this expression
of gratitude should always be in the form
of a handwritten note. Others feel a verbal
thank-you message is OK if the person giving
the gift is present when the child opened the
gift. You’ll need to decide which approach
you want to follow in your family.

• Write and promptly mail thank-you
notes within a few days of receiving gifts.

How do you get your kids interested in the
art of the thank-you note? Start with a pos-
itive attitude. If you nag your kids to do it,
they’ll approach writing thank-you notes as
something to dread. “I think the main reason
kids ought to write thank-you notes is that
grateful people are happy people,” says Raffi
Bilek, a family therapist and director of the
Baltimore Therapy Center, in a Postable arti-
cle. “Gratitude is a key factor in enduring,
long-term happiness. Training our children
to appreciate what they have and what they
receive is an important way to instill this
trait in them.”
Learn what you can do to give your kids
some encouragement:
• Keep thank-you notes short. The notes
don’t need to be elaborate to be effective. If
your child spends an entire morning writ-
ing one, he’ll run out of steam before he gets
to the others.

• Make it fun. Use colored papers, stick-
ers, stamps, crayons, colored pencils,
sequins and other craft-store objects to turn
an ordinary thank-you note into something
extraordinary for the recipient.

• Help your child understand the reasons
for writing in the first place. You might talk
to your child about how Aunt Pat spent time
looking for just the right pair of roller skates
so that her niece can enjoy them. Ask your
child to think about a time when she gave a
gift to someone. How did she feel when she
got a thank you back?
• Make thank-you note writing something
the family can do together. Children follow
by example. Sit down at the kitchen table and
write your own thank-you notes so that your
child can see how important expressing grati-
tude is to you. Offer help if your child gets stuck.

Thank-You Note Tips
Younger Kids (Ages 3 to 7)
• Young children can put the fun into
thank-you cards. For example, you can
snap and print a photo of your son wear-
ing the new baseball cap he got from his
grandparents. Ask him to make a drawing
or two on the photo.

• If your child knows how to write, have
him use a pen or marker to write “thank
you” on the photo or on a note card you
can tuck into an envelope with the photo.

Older Kids (Ages 8 and older)
• Teach your child the basic parts of
a thank-you note: a greeting to the per-
son who gave the gift, the body containing
details thanking the person for the gift and
mentioning how he or she likes the gift or will
use it, and a sign-off with your child’s name.

• Children might get intimidated by find-
ing the right words to say. Encourage your
kids to use the words that are natural to them
so that the message comes from the heart.

• Make writing thank-you notes part
of a daily routine. Leave blank cards or
paper where your child is most likely to
see them, such as on a bedside table or a
bedroom desk. T
All basic thank-you notes
have the following parts:
Body: The body of the thank-
you note can be a few short
sentences. In the body, have your
child acknowledge the gift and
express gratitude. You may want
to encourage your child to write a
sentence or two about why he or
she likes the gift or appreciates the
gift giver’s thoughtfulness.

he Dear n k you for t
Tha ause
c e
b t
i
like
I really

Love,

IMGORTHAND / E+ / GETTY IMAGES
JAMMYDESIGN/DIGITALVISION VECTORS
Greeting: This line contains
the word “Dear” followed by
the name of the person who
gave your child the gift.

Closing: Sign off with “love,” “thinking
of you” or other appropriate words.

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