How to Help Your Preschooler Write Thank You Notes

Writing thank you notes is just a part of practicing good manners. Kids are so excited about receiving presents but that is only half of what the gift is about. Teaching your child at a young age to write thank you helps them learn manners and the art of showing their appreciation. Follow these steps to help your preschooler write thank you notes.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Note cards
• Stickers
• Glitter
• Markers
• Pen
• Stamp
• Envelope

1. Gather all of the materials. Let your child decide how they will decorate the thank you note. Offer them a lot of options and then let your child have fun making the notecard.

2. Have your child sign the note first. At this age, preschoolers tend to have extremely large signatures and letting them sign first will ensure that there will be enough room for the rest of the note.

3. Creating the text part of the note is the next step. Ask your child what they thought of the gift and what they liked best about the gift. They could also explain how they use the gift and this is also a perfect place for your child to draw a picture. You may need to write the text of the note for your child depending on their writing skills at this age.

4. Finish the note by letting your child put stickers on it or coloring with markers. They can use glitter or any other decorations as well to further personalize the note.

5. Put the note in an envelope and show your child the proper way to address the envelope. Let your child put the stamp on the envelope and explain that this is the way the letter will get to the recipient. Let them walk with you to the mailbox as well and place their note in as well as pulling up the flag.

Tips & Warnings

• Sometimes it is acceptable to thank the gift giver in person in lieu of writing a thank you note. Only you as a parent should make this decision.
• Consider using your child's artwork to write a thank you note on. Use the back side of the artwork and write the thank you note out for your child to sign. This way, the receiver gets a one-of-a-kind creation and really knows that their gift is appreciated.
• The best way to show your child how to write thank you notes is to write them yourself. Child always learn best by example.
• There is a chance that your child may not like a gift but a thank you note should still be sent.
• Thank you notes should be written as soon as possible so that your child does not forget about the present and what they like about it.

[PaigeWhite]

on 8/30/2008 Great idea! Thanks~