Writing thank you notes for holiday gifts doesn’t have to be a chore. Here are 10 creative thank you note ideas to help make writing thank yous fun!
- Make thank you notes into an art project: Get out the crayons, the glitter, and the glue. Have your child make a picture (ideally incorporating the gift), and then write a note underneath or on the back. Mail in a big yellow envelope.
- Create a comic: Have your child write her thank you graphically in comic strip form. She could make a comic about how excited she was to get the gift or about using it.
- Write a looooonnnnnngggg thank you: Use adding paper (you can buy it in rolls from an office supply store), and have your child write the note in one very long line. Roll it up, tie a ribbon or a piece of yarn around it, and send it. You could send it inside a toilet paper roll or an old prescription container to keep it from being mushed.
- Make a puzzle:Â You can buy puzzle cards at the art store, or make your own from card stock. Just have your child draw a picture and/or write a note, and then put the pieces in the envelope and send.
- Write a Rebus thank you:Â For this thank you, your child writes the note using small pictures in place of some of the words.
- Take a picture:Â Take a picture of your child using the gift, add a speech bubble, and have your child write a thank you inside it. Great for that handmade sweater.
- Make a video: This can be as simple as filming your child talking about the gift and thanking the giver, or you could video your child using the gift, or you could even do a full on movie complete with script and costumes.
- Design a card in Publisher: This has been a favorite of my son’s for years. You can buy envelopes to fit these cards. A hand-written note on the card is a nice touch to keep it personal.
- Make a PowerPoint thank you: Your older child could probably make a pretty amazing mutli-media presentation with thank yous flying in and flashing, spinning, etc.; sound effects; and goodness knows what else. You can put it on a CD and snail mail it or attach it to an email.
- The email thank you: I almost left this one off because it seems like such a cop out. Manners guru Emily Post recommends that you consider the audience if you are thinking about an email thank you. People who use email regularly may be fine with it, while some of the older generation may find it offensive. If you do allow your child to use email, make sure the note is as personal as possible (no group thank yous!), and consider encouraging creativity with fonts, colors and pictures. As for animated e-cards, my inclination is to “just say no.”
Great ideas, Rachel. Sure helps turn the mundane task of getting your kids to write into something fun.
Thanks for all your inspiration.
Carol
Thank you for the great list! Living far away from our family and many of our friends, thank-yous are very important.
My children are too young to write their own yet, but they do help. I bought a pad of notepaper-sized watercolour sheets and had them decorate the paper that I then used to write a nice note. They were beautiful, and each was unique.
So glad you enjoyed the post and could find something you could use!