While etiquette rules may sometimes seem outdated, teaching our kids the importance of showing appreciation for gifts received or even kind gestures is one type of etiquette that should never go out of style. Even the youngest children can learn a thing or two from creating their own thank you cards so here are some ideas to get your children involved in the process.

Thank You Cards & Children Under 6

Very young children probably won’t have the handwriting skills necessary to write out thank you cards on their own, but that doesn’t mean you can’t involve them in the process. Start by letting them help you choose the thank you cards. Consider choosing thank you cards that match the party’s theme, such as the Fire Truck Die-Cut Fill-in Thank You Cards or Butterfly Die-Cut Fill-in Thank You Cards.

Have your child help you when you’re preparing the thank you cards. If possible, let them sign their own names to the cards. If not, they can seal the envelopes, apply stamps, or even add decorations to the envelope (if it’s not going to be mailed).

Thank You Cards & Children 6 to 12

Once your children can write legibly, it’s time to turn the responsibility for those thank you cards over to them. However, the task can be daunting for little ones who might struggle with just what to say. To help them out, you should purchase fill-in the blank thank you cards, such as the Birthday Die-cut Kids Thank You cards. With these cards, your children add in the giver’s name, the name of the gift, and then sign their name.

As kids get closer to age 12, you might consider ditching the fill-in cards and opting for something like the Heart Die-cut Kids Thank You cards which provide a small lined space for your child to write a personal message.

Thank You Cards & Children Over 12

Older children and teenagers should be able to practice their writing skills by creating unique notes for each of the people they need to thank. At this age, your kids have probably outgrown the cuter thank you cards designed for children and have graduated to something more simple, elegant, and mature. Pink Embossed Thank You cards or Blue Thank You Note Cards with blank insides would be ideal for this age group.

Remember if you want your children to grow up to value sending thank you cards to show their appreciation then be a parent who models that type of behavior for them.