The importance of sending handwritten thank-you notes

You know what’s harder than helping your kid write a thank-you note? Helping yourself do the same thing! (That’s why you get a full year after your wedding to write gift thank-you notes, right?)

While emails or even texts might be acceptable on informal occasions, handwritten cards can impress friends, relatives, and potential employers alike. When should you write a personalized, handwritten note?

  • After a job interview - that very night, if possible
  • After a bridal or baby shower
  • After a wedding, to attendants and for gifts
  • After receiving a birthday or holiday gift
  • After an unexpected kindness
  • After an illness

We know they’re easy to put off. But here are a few ways to stay organized and get the notes written in a timely fashion.

Baby shower or wedding gift thank-yous to write? Make sure that someone else – not you who are getting married or you who are about to be baby parents – is taking notes about who’s giving what gift, Maids of honor and best men; best friends; distant relatives who want something to do – this is where you come in! If the helpful people are up for it, they can even address the envelopes and stick on post-it notes identifying the giver and the gift. Overwhelmed at the number to write? Set a goal of two to four a day, with weekends off, until you’ve thanked everyone.

Buy cards you like. Keep a stock on hand, along with stamps and favorite pens, in a thank-you note box or drawer. The cards can be fun or serious, depending on your mood.

Writing a thank-you note for a job interview? Think about these steps:



  • Address your note to the hiring manager
  • Mention the title of the job for which you interviewed
  • Talk about your interest in the position,
  • Write, briefly, about a specific answers or ideas that seemed to spark the hiring manager or hiring committee’s interest
  • Thank everyone for their time and, finally
  • Include your contact information.

Writing a thank-you note for a birthday or holiday gift? Remember the tips for kids! Mention the gift, say something specific about why you appreciate it, try to be as genuine as possible without lying, and make the note look pretty.

Writing a random thanks for an unexpected kindness? Match the look of the thank-you card to the tone of your thanks – gentle, boisterous, quirky, sweet, amused, honored, direct, and everything in between.

If you’re writing a note on behalf of a bereaved family or person who’s too ill to write him or herself, stick to a script. Include a simple thank-you sentence mentioning the gift or helpful action, write a sentence that says how much the person or family appreciated the thoughtfulness of the gift, and (with permission) sign the name of the ill person or the bereaved family. Pick muted colors for these thank-you notes.

You can bring joy with just a few minutes of thoughtful writing. The world could use a little more of that. So good luck with your notes! We thank you for writing them.

Share To:   Pinterest  |   Twitter  |   Facebook

posted by Tickled Pink Paper + Ink Staff | Leave a comment

Lunchbox Love Notes: A Free Printable from Tickled Pink Paper + Ink

Back-to-school will be upon us before we know it and life's rhythm changes quickly to the fast-paced drumbeat of the school year. Taking time to surprise your kiddo with a lunchbox love note can be a great way for remind them that they're always on your mind. 

We have a free set of lunchbox love notes just for you. Click to download the PDF, print on card stock, trim and drop in lunch boxes as a fun mid-day hello. 

If you're a fan of any of the adorable animals on the lunchbox love notes, we have a handful of complementary cards and other designs to match: 

Share To:   Pinterest  |   Twitter  |   Facebook

posted by Teresa Diepenbrock | Leave a comment

Make it Fun! Thank-You-Note-Writing Tips for Getting Kids to Say Thanks

 

What’s better than receiving a hand-written thank-you note? 

We’d say it’s getting a text from a thrilled relative or friend who just opened your child’s sweet thank-you card. 
Recent studies show that writing by hand helps kids understand details and even develop new neural connections in the brain. 
And of course when a child learns early to write thank-you notes, she’ll have an easier time remembering to do that after job interviews – which, other studies show, has a good effect on interviewers’ feelings about applicants. 
But getting the kids interested in writing can be a hassle when it feels like a chore. Here are some tips for making thank-you notes fun!
  • Let your child pick out the card. He might want the bumblebee card; she might want the card with the doggie on the front – lay out a selection of three to five from which the child can choose.
  • Before there’s any formal writing, talk to your child about the gift. If the present is a game, what does she like about playing it? If the gift is an experience, what does he remember most? If the present is a gift card, what is she thinking about purchasing? 
  • Have your child write a draft and read it out loud to you. Too intense? Ask your child to read it out loud in the voice of his favorite character. 
  • Offer a selection of pens, markers, crayons, stickers, glitter and other ways to personalize the thank-you card for your kid. 
  • Make the length appropriate to the age. The littlest kids can pick out the best pen color, dictate a one to three sentence thank-you note and then fill in the rest of the card space with coloring, while older kids can create longer narratives about what they’re doing with their gifts and their lives. 
  • Help your child see that genuine is the way to go. If your kid doesn’t like the gift, you can help her write a simple thank-you sentence and then add a question or two that indicate interest in the giver’s life – “Dear Uncle Tomas: Thank you so much for the Boynton board books you sent for my 8th birthday. I am enjoying reading them to my baby brother. What did you like to read when you were 8?”
  • Learn the fun of snail mail! Write the address together. The address can be in fun colors but still be accurate and legible to the post office if you help out. If you put a special stamp on before the address, your child can also color-coordinate the decorations with the stamp. Have your child either hand the card to your letter carrier or drop it in the mailbox himself. 
There’s no need for external rewards from you for the thank-you notes. Remember, the reward is already there – the gift, plus the line your child has formed, heart to heart, from giver to receiver. 
Congratulations! 

 


Share To:   Pinterest  |   Twitter  |   Facebook

posted by Tickled Pink Paper + Ink Staff | Leave a comment