The Art of Writing a Thank You
by Kellie Geres
Regarding Nannies Development Team
This past holiday season, one of my tasks was to sit with my 13 and 15 year old and have them write thank you’s to the various relatives and friends that had gifted them for the holidays.
What a task! The 13 year old had them done in no time – sincere, thoughtful, mentioned the gift, wrote a personal note, signed, sealed and ready to address. Fast forward to the 15 year old – sat, and sat some more ... yep still sitting. Could not write a thank you note. Would start, make a small mistake, cross it out and start over on the same thank you note! Ugh! Finally, they were done, but I had to think there has got to be a better way and a lesson to write thank yous.
So here are a few tips to keep in mind in The Art of Writing a Thank You:
• Discuss why it’s important to write a thank you note.
• All gifts should be acknowledged with a thank you, unless you personally thanked the gift giver when you were opening the gift. Providing a thank you is a sign of respect.
• For an age appropriate listing of thank you’s for kids, check out what Emily Post has to say.
• Write notes as soon as possible and make them creative, getting everyone involved who received a gift.
• Schedule a time that you plan to write the thank you notes. Making it a task to complete will help them get done.
• Email is not an option when acknowledging a gift with a thank you.
Another great resource on writing thank yous and getting children involved.
Regarding Nannies Development Team
This past holiday season, one of my tasks was to sit with my 13 and 15 year old and have them write thank you’s to the various relatives and friends that had gifted them for the holidays.
What a task! The 13 year old had them done in no time – sincere, thoughtful, mentioned the gift, wrote a personal note, signed, sealed and ready to address. Fast forward to the 15 year old – sat, and sat some more ... yep still sitting. Could not write a thank you note. Would start, make a small mistake, cross it out and start over on the same thank you note! Ugh! Finally, they were done, but I had to think there has got to be a better way and a lesson to write thank yous.
So here are a few tips to keep in mind in The Art of Writing a Thank You:
• Discuss why it’s important to write a thank you note.
• All gifts should be acknowledged with a thank you, unless you personally thanked the gift giver when you were opening the gift. Providing a thank you is a sign of respect.
• For an age appropriate listing of thank you’s for kids, check out what Emily Post has to say.
• Write notes as soon as possible and make them creative, getting everyone involved who received a gift.
• Schedule a time that you plan to write the thank you notes. Making it a task to complete will help them get done.
• Email is not an option when acknowledging a gift with a thank you.
Another great resource on writing thank yous and getting children involved.
What do you do to get your children or charges to write thank yous?
Posts
2 comments:
As mentioned in one of the articles you included...my Mom always said the thank you note had to be written before the item was used/played with or worn. This backfires if the item is not loved but does make a point. :)
Nanny in Boston
Thanks for writing this article. I always write thank-you notes, even if I open the present and thank them right there and then. My son is only two, but I have him draw a picture on the thank you and we take a picture of him with his toy, book or outfit and send it along.
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