Kids Thank You Cards
You know it’s a good idea to get kids in the habit of writing thank you cards early, but what if they’re not even old enough to write? You write them. Yes you, the adult!
Some people write as if they’re the child, as in "thank you for the sidewalk chalk—I drew all over the driveway with it". Some feel silly doing that and prefer to be themselves, saying, "thank you for sending Billy that adorable shirt". It’s really up to you. I’ve done both, usually depending on the giver. For example, if it’s my kid’s playmate, I write from my kid’s point of view. If it’s a distant aunt who sent a check, I keep it a little more formal and stay away from the cutesy stuff.
I've noticed that at very young children's parties, gifts are generally not opened in front of everyone. At first this disappointed me but I quickly learned why that is. One: You just can’t count on a 3-year-old to make the appropriate comments about each gift. Two: Sometimes you can’t even count on him to open all the gifts-- if he comes across one that’s particularly interesting, he may just play with that and ditch the rest for the time being. Then there’s the big three, which is the toddler audience— not a group who does well sitting and watching for long periods of time. So all in all, opening the presents after the party makes a lot of sense.
However, I still feel a little weird saying goodbye to our guests near a pile of unopened gifts. I am painfully aware that each mom had to drag her own kids through Target or Toys-R-Us and tell them repeatedly, "No, this is not for you, this is for the party" and the trip probably resulted in tears for someone or everyone. So to ease my own conscience, I like to include with the kids thank you cards a photo of my child opening the gift. It doesn’t have to be posed; in fact, I like them candid. And I certainly don’t expect the gift-giver to keep my child’s picture. I just like that they can see the (hopefully) pleased look on his face when he rips open that carefully chosen gift. A picture really is worth a thousand words, isn’t it?
You can also have your child personalize the note by drawing a picture or adding stickers or stamps. This gets them into the spirit of thank you notes, plus the recipient knows the child was part of the sentiment. To keep it fun, only ask them to do a few at a time.
It's also a good idea to ask your kids why they like the gift. You’d be surprised how much this helps. I’m staring at a toy car, totally uninspired about what to write, and then I ask my son why it’s cool and he says, "I like the fire on the side and I can make it go VRROOOOM." Voila, thank you note done.
If your kids are napping and you need some sample kids thank you cards wording to get you going quickly, here they are. (P.S. If you were looking for actual paper kids thank you cards, go here.)
TIP: For helpful, concrete ideas on how to get your kids to write their OWN thank you notes, see Thank-You Notes: Chore or Chance?
Dear Zachary,
I love my huge box of Legos so much, I can’t stop playing with them. I build a tower and knock it over many times a day. I don’t know what I used to do before this. Thank you so much for the great toy. My mom also likes that it comes with its own box, though I have not yet left it alone long enough to put it away!
Your Friend,
Logan
-------------------------
More kids thank you cards...
Dear Thomas,
Thank you for the bug habitat and vacuum. I love being able to collect bugs and give them a home. I have 4 right now, and I named them all. I can tell they are really happy.
Thanks also for coming to my party! Having you there made it extra fun.
Your Friend,
Luke
More kids thank you cards wording...
-------------------------
Dear Sheena,
I love my Littlest Pet Shop! I always wanted that one with the blue dog and now I have it. I play with it every chance I get. When we see each other next, I can’t wait to get all our pets together for a party.
Thank you very much!
Love,
Fifi
-------------------------
Dear Becky,
I love my coloring set! It has paint and glow-in-the-dark pens and glitter—things I always wanted. I have been drawing up a storm over here. When you come over, you’ll see my pictures hanging on the walls.
Thank you so much for picking the perfect gift, and for coming to my party. I always have more fun places when you’re there!
Love,
Rosie
-------------------------
Dear Grandma,
Thank you for the Webkinz! I named her Happy and have already set up her room. She has a princess bed, a checkers game, and lots of clothes and friends. Her favorite food is blueberries.
Thanks again. You know how much I like Webkinz. She is my favorite toy!
Love,
Amanda
-----------------------------------
Kids Thank You Cards from my 7-year-old. I told him "at least 3 sentences" so most of them are exactly 3 sentences. He didn't spell everything correctly but I didn't have him fix mistakes because a) I don't want to make a tough job tougher and b) I think it lets people know he wrote this himself.
---------------------------------
Dear Tim,
Thank you for the Bionicle. I already built it. I have been playing with it a lot.
Thanks for coming to my party!
Your Friend,
---------------------------------
Dear Mike,
Thanks for the Science Experiments Book. It's really cool. I did the Singing Wine Glasses one.
Thanks for coming to my party!
----------------------------------
Dear Grandma and Papa,
Thanks for the Castle Lego. It was the number one thing on my Wish List. I love it! I play with it a lot.
Love,
---------------------------------
Dear Aunt M and Uncle F,
Thank you for the pool basketball hoop. It was a big surprise in the mail. I love basketball! I can't wait to try it out in the summer.
Love,
Dear Will and Colin,
The pirate code game is very cool. I'm getting really good at it. So far I've beaten Logan like seven times. Thank you for the awesome gift!
More kids thank you cards to come...
Were you looking for actual paper kids thank you cards?
