Some of the most important lessons to teach your children are thankfulness and gratitude. Helping them to appreciate the kindness of others will benefit them throughout the course of their lives. With the holidays approaching, we wanted to share some tips to help teach your kids the art of writing thank you notes.

Why It Matters

More than good manners, teaching your children to write thank you notes will help them to learn genuine gratitude. It helps them to show respect and how to honor others’ feelings. Instilling these qualities at a young age will encourage your children to blossom into kind, considerate, and thoughtful adults. And the world definitely needs more of those!

When to Send a Thank You Note

There is no wrong time to send a thank you note. Notes can be sent when receiving a gift, after a kind gesture, or just to thank someone who has impacted your life. This holiday season, you can start your kiddos off by writing thank you notes to the friends and family who visit or offer a gift.

Share Some Details When Writing Thank You Notes

When writing thank you notes with your kids, have them include a few details. Let the recipient know how much they liked the toy, how they used the gift, or how the gesture made them feel. While a simple thank you can be enough, you can avoid being trite by including the reasons for your thanks.

Types of Notes

Thank you notes can come in all shapes and sizes. You can use a blank thank you card, create one of your own, or use a pre-printed note, which comes in handy when working with littles. You can even have your little one draw a picture to show their thanks. For grandparents, maybe include a snapshot or two of your little one enjoying their gift.

However you choose to show your gratitude this year, always remember how much it means to those you love. Taking the time out of your day to show your appreciation will warm the hearts of those closest to you. And really… isn’t that what this season is all about?

Do you have some great ideas for thank you notes? Let us know on Facebook!