How to Teach Children To Write Christmas Thank-You Notes

Christmas is the perfect time to teach a child how to write a thank-you note. It is easy if you follow a few basic guidelines.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Christmas or other thank-you notes or writing paper
• pencils or pens
• erasers for pencil or pen
• optional photo of child with the gift
• envelope and stamp

1. Have your child sit in a comfortable chair and write the proper salutation such as "Dear Grandmother,".

2. Next, have your child write the body of the letter. Some children write easily. If not, tell them that it is fine to simply write "Thank you for the (name) of gift" as a first sentence.

3. Encourage the child to write one or two more short sentences. You may need to offer options, such as focusing on the special characteristics of a toy or a special color of a sweater or putting in something about how much the recipient is looking forward to using it or how much fun it has been to play with a specific toy already.

4. Make sure the letter is finished in a proper way. Some possibilities include "Thanks again for your lovely gift" or simple "Appreciatively,".
   This is followed by the writer's signature.

5. Put the note in the sized envelope and enclose a photo of the child with the gift (if you are including one). While this is optional, it is a nice touch. Then lick the envelope, seal and address it. You can mail it for your child.

Tips & Warnings

• Remind your child that it is not okay to say a gift was disliked. Instead, he or she could tactfully note how kind it was for a friend or relative to think of him or her.
• A handwritten or printed letter is important. Do not use form letters. Even if a child writes with crooked letters or imperfect spelling, this is part of the charm of a handwritten thank-you note. It adds a personal touch.

[armcr]

on 7/13/2009 I have a niece who takes one or two photographs of her children WITH the gifts we have sent them, and she encloses the picture with her children's thank you notes. It is a wonderful touch!

When I was teaching my daughter how to write thank you notes (35 years ago) I made up a "formula" that requires only 3 or 4 short sentences:
#1 - Start off by identifying the gift and how much you like it.
#2 - Comment on how you'll use it, where you'll put it, etc.
#3 - THEN say "thank you so very much" for finding such a perfect gift...or thinking of me....or some other appropriate closing.

e.g. Dear ___, I just love my beautiful pink mittens! They will be perfect with my new winter coat. Thank you for such a perfect gift. I’ll think of you every time I wear them! Love, ___.

The key is not to start off with Thank You, because it makes it awkward to find a smooth closing without repeating y...