The Huhtala Clan, while always incredibly grateful for all they are given, has never done very well in the thank you card department. We had soooo many good intentions of sending out cards after birthdays and Christmas. We'd even go so far as to "write down what was received" next to the persons name on a list. As if by this act alone we were committed to sending a thank you card....right. Sadly, it rarely happened because I refused to be one of those Moms that did it FOR my kids, which meant of course, it was NEVER going to get done.
Now however, thanks to Homeschooling, things have changed! We have sent out more thank you cards in the past 2 months than we have mailed in a decade! Here's how I accomplished this.
1. Get a cute box or basket and designate it just for letter writing.
2. Fill it with a variety of blank thank you cards (I look for ones at the dollar store or on clearance), envelopes, stamps and a list of addresses of "the regulars" when it comes to needing to write family or friends.
3. If someone sends you a birthday card or gift, cut out their return address and add it to the list.
4. Designate one writing assignment during the week for notes of gratitude. This is flexible. Today for instance, instead of having them do grammar, I had them write out thank you cards because they had just received some birthday gifts in the mail.
I have found because I have made the process so manageable and organized, my kids are actually the ones to mention that they need to write out a thank you card! They grab the thank you box and off they go! My only requirement is that they write a rough draft first and I have to proofread it, as they often end up crossing things out and making a mess when they try to just write one immediately onto the card.
Hurray for developing the habit of writing letters and showing gratitude!
Now however, thanks to Homeschooling, things have changed! We have sent out more thank you cards in the past 2 months than we have mailed in a decade! Here's how I accomplished this.
1. Get a cute box or basket and designate it just for letter writing.
2. Fill it with a variety of blank thank you cards (I look for ones at the dollar store or on clearance), envelopes, stamps and a list of addresses of "the regulars" when it comes to needing to write family or friends.
3. If someone sends you a birthday card or gift, cut out their return address and add it to the list.
4. Designate one writing assignment during the week for notes of gratitude. This is flexible. Today for instance, instead of having them do grammar, I had them write out thank you cards because they had just received some birthday gifts in the mail.
I have found because I have made the process so manageable and organized, my kids are actually the ones to mention that they need to write out a thank you card! They grab the thank you box and off they go! My only requirement is that they write a rough draft first and I have to proofread it, as they often end up crossing things out and making a mess when they try to just write one immediately onto the card.
Hurray for developing the habit of writing letters and showing gratitude!
2 comments:
Jeanne said...
This is excellent - I'm inspired! Thanks!
Kristi Brausch said...
That's a great idea! I have to tell you, I loved getting the thank you cards, it made my day!