Gather your kids around the table with pre-made cards or colorful card stock paper -- or keep it simple with basic construction paper. Include plenty of fun pencils, markers, and stickers. Writing a sweet card is all about sharing a real expression of thanks.
Do you want to make your own card? First match up the card + envelope. Find a suitable envelope to fit your hand-made cards. You can trim the paper first to fit the envelope. If you only have the commercial size envelopes, get creative and make two folds on the card stock paper to create an accordion style note card with the 8.5" x 11" paper.
Decorate the cards
One fun idea is to print up some favorite family photos. Go ahead and use your inkjet printer. The photos will turn out great even if you use standard paper, but I think using paper that's just just a bit heavier than standard paper works the best. If you have photo paper, that's fantastic. However, don't worry about the materials—the goal is to just have fun! Help your kids cut out the photos and use a glue stick to place them on the card in an arrangement your kids like. Do they like scrapbook or collage style? Or maybe they prefer just one photo per card and want to add embellishments with their own doodles. If you have photos of your child with the gift they are writing about, include it on the card.
Write the thank you
If you have very young kids, one of the easiest ideas uses the simple fill-in-the-blank format. For example, you can write out the following on the card and have your kids complete the message.
Dear _______________,
Thank you for the __________________________.
I like it because ___________________________ .
Love, _______________________
Have fun!
Image: Thank You Note graphic by me, Chris Olson. Feel free to Pin it on Pinterest with a link back to this post. Thanks!