Activity With Kids – Make Thank You Cards
Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.
– Henri Frederic Amiel
Having a thankful attitude is good for one’s health. As a Harvard Health Publishing article said, “gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.” It also has good effects to the person receiving a thank you.
To think that everything that you do has a ripple effect, that every word that you speak, every action that you make affects other people and the planet. (Victoria Moran) This is true, being thanked means that the other person appreciates one’s efforts and actions, in this setting both the one saying “thanks” and the one receiving it gets positive emotions.
Even the bible encourages us to be thankful: “Give thanks for everything. This is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) Giving thanks to the people around us, even though they are just words also reinforces the bible verse, “God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7) Having a grateful disposition brings lasting happiness.
Aside from saying thank you often, making (and giving) cards is one of the many things you can do alongside your children to show appreciation to others. This doesn’t only stir their creativity, it allows them see that they can create something that would make others smile. Here’s how:
Make Thank You Cards – Creativity Out
Gather Materials
You don’t need to take out all your crafting materials, but you’d certainly need a lot of them. You can allow the kids to pick what they would like to include on their work, so ribbons, buttons, glitters, and other such cuties are totally fine.
Here are the basic materials to prepare:
Colored Paper
Glue
Tape
Crayons, Colored Pencils
Watercolor
Washi Tapes
Scissors
Write Notes
Writing a thank you note doesn’t require a degree, you just have to jot down what you honestly feel and think about a person. You can make drafts of what you wanted to say, and later on come back to finalize and write them after designing your card if you feel doing your cover first. Get tips also on how to write a great thank you note for friends, relatives, and colleagues to make yours heartfelt and sincere.
Make sure you spell your recipient’s name correctly. If you are giving a card to the postman, for example, you can politely ask his or her name first. Here’s a guide on how to write your note:
1. Begin with a greeting – include recipient’s name (spelled correctly).
2. Give your thanks – specifically mention what he or she has done.
3. Include an anecdote or how you hope to see him or her doing well.
4. Restate your thankfulness.
5. Sign politely- give your regards and name.
Design
There are many designs you can choose from when it comes to making a thank you card. Kids’ individual preferences will come to play, but just let it be. It will make their cards more personal.
You can choose to make folded cards, or a simple postcard-style card that says “thank you.” Here are some design ideas to choose from:
Washi Tape Border
Washi Tapes are very versatile and diverse. You can use it for many things, and a card design with a simple border is one. You can put the tapes on either side of the card. If you want a portrait-oriented card, you can put borders on all sides.
Make Thank You Cards – Washi Tape Borders
Rainbow Colored
Whether you use crayon, colored pencil or cut out-colored papers, a rainbow is easy and catchy.
Make Thank You Cards – Rainbow painted
Drawn on
Tulips, cats, dogs, anything a child fancies can go on a card and makes it more personal. Instruct them to draw something that reminds them of the person, or something that they like. If your child can not draw yet, it’s ok too. Figures made by those tiny hands will surely be adorable.
Make Thank You Cards – Drawn Tulips
Watercolor Background
Another easy design would be watercolor swatches, simply dip your brushes onto some color and dab or swish. When the color dries, write your cover message using a fine pen. There are endless combinations to which color you can use, and if you know the recipient’s favourite colors, use those.
Make Thank You Cards – Watercolor swatch background
Cut Paper
You can make use of scrap paper, newspaper cuttings to design your card by making a collage out of them. Colored papers would do, but those with prints are wonderful too, see the below with polka dots. You can even cut out letters from a magazine to spell out Thank You and stick them on your card. This is a good way to recycle a little.
Make Thank You Cards – Cut out paper collage
Flowers, Ribbons, and Buttons
Flowers, be it dried, felt, paper, or store-bought plastic ones make for a simple but elegant design. Ribbons and buttons are the same. Checkered ones and flowery buttons make a card lively and pretty. While ribbons make card designs attractive, just don’t overdo it.
Make Thank You Cards – dried flower bud
Other Ways To Say Thank You
Making cards, thank you-notes is just one of the many ways you can show thankfulness. And there are many designs you can make.
If you lack the time to DIY a card, make a digital card instead. You can also buy a gift bag for your recipient. But, if you aren’t sure what they like, then buying a gift bag may not be easy, give them a gift card they can spend on what they prefer. ^_^
Thankfulness is always a good idea, and it is always welcome to be heard. You can give thank you cards to virtually anyone, the delivery person, the nurse, the dentist’s assistant, the neighbor across the hall, and even the bus driver. Wouldn’t you be happy receiving a thank you card from someone too?
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