The Art of Thank You Notes

The Art of Thank You Notes

With all those gifts coming from family friends over the holidays, it’s time to enjoy some art. Yes, writing thank you notes is a form of art. Just plain cardstock is the start. Even construction or printer paper is a good base.

When we compose thank you notes we are:

• pulling out fun scrapbook paper
• using stickers, markers, crayons – maybe even paint!
• drawing, sketching
• being creative

Though they aren’t opening their handwriting books this day, in writing thank you notes my children:

get their very best handwriting practice

sneak in some spelling and grammar lessons

practice gratitude

consult creativity in thinking of how they are grateful or what they are grateful for

Work on comprehension – if notes are composed shortly after a field trip

A few thank you note tips:

Keep it brief. In the mail, we received a thank you from a cousin. “Thank you for the money. Now I’m rich!” – Short and sweet. And it sure made us laugh!

Save sample notes. One family keeps a file folder full of examples of good thank you notes. If a child is “stuck” simply pull out the folder, thumb through the offerings and the task is no longer overwhelming.

Encourage the reluctant writer. Compose a family-wide thank you note.After Christmas, we composed family thank yous to aunts and uncles. I wrote a sentence or two for the youngest boy. The littlest girl dictated to me what she wished to convey. “You are so smart to give me that snowman ornament!” four-year-old said. Then each of the older children wrote just a line or two on the same note. The finished product was cute and brightened a mailbox.

Share from your stack. Send a finished paint-with-water page or other recent and beautiful piece of art work from your littlest one.

Pull out the Draw Write Now books, consult your grammar text. Put the supplies in a workbox. It may be messy but it surely can be fun. Note writing is an art.

But most of all, writing thank you notes is polishing basic, good manners.