The Easiest (and Most Polite) Children's Thank You Notes

Margaret Shepherd, in her book The Art of the Handwritten Note, has this to say about thank you notes: "Party or no party, birthday gifts require a thank-you note written by you in your own handwriting. 'Fred says thank-you for the Ferrari,' is acceptable only if the car is two inches long and Fred is still in diapers."

What about children who cannot yet write in their own handwriting? Artwork is often welcomed by the gift-giver, as are photos, especially of the child using the gift.

I have to thank my mother for the following easy children's thank-you note idea.

Cut a length of paper (butcher paper, for example) to fit a low craft table. Tape the edges of the paper to the table so that it won't move around when it is colored. Supply whatever craft materials you would like your child to use. Ready, set, go! Let your child color and decorate to his or her heart's content.

When your child has finished, cut the long paper into notecard sizes. You might also write "Thank You" along the side of each card, or your child's name and the date.

You should now have between 20 and 40 customized notecards to use the next time your child receives a gift.

Thank you, Mom!

Investments of Books and Time

Powerlaunch has posted another tremendous reminder to help us raise our children to be leaders: Spend or Invest Your Child's Summer? I love the list of educational investments we can make for our children or help our children to make for themselves this summer. I will be going back again and again to this post because several of the ideas were refreshing and new to me.

Along a similar line, today I read Shiloah Baker's post How the Environment in the Home Affects Children. After reading both posts, I am inspired to highlight the classic books we already have in our home and to acquire more fun classics, a few books at a time.

There are easy ways to highlight certain great books. One is to move an extra bookcase into the common area of your home and to fill it with the books you want to highlight.

Another way is to pick a time of day to read aloud those particular books. Even if you already read books to your children around naptimes and bedtimes, those stories tend to be the same beloved books over and over again (at least at our house).

Breakfast is a great time for reading aloud, as is lunchtime if you are at home and your children are preschool-aged, home for the summer, home for school holidays, or home as usual for homeschooling. Many parents choose to read aloud over the dinner table, perhaps for some relaxed time after the family has finished eating. Jim Trelease in his Read-Aloud Handbook recommends reading to older children as they do the dinner dishes.

Three Ways to Teach Children a Work Ethic

A work ethic is something most parents want their children to learn. Here are three ways to begin to instill one in your child.

1. Start Early with Cleaning Up.

Every time your baby plays with toys, have a clean-up time when it's time to move on to something else. You might use a clean-up song to sing each time. Definitely use the term "cleaning up," even to your tiny baby.

You will start by cleaning up all the toys yourself. Do it cheerfully to show that it is a good and fun thing. As baby gets older, he or she can have a turn dropping a toy into a basket. You and your baby or toddler can take turns dropping one toy into the right place. Saying, "My turn! Your turn! My turn!" etc. also sets up the concept of sharing and taking turns for later lessons.

Each time playtime is over, have your child pick up toys. You can either cheerfully help or limit the number of toys available to a number that your child can pick up on his or her own.

If you do these things every single time, your child will naturally learn to clean up, with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of cheerfulness. Okay, it may not work perfectly every time, but it does lay the right groundwork.

2. Be the Example.

Groan. Another hard thing to model for your children, right? Being the example is the best way to teach your children anything in the world. Show them what you do in your daily life. Later you can tell them why.

Do your tasks until they are finished. Let your children see you working. Try to maintain a cheerful (or at least neutral) demeanor while working. Note: For me, these are things I have to work on continually. Keep in mind that, just as you are not perfect, neither will your children be. (Thank you, Chronicles of a Babywise Mom, for that good lesson.)

3. Trade help.

By the time your child is a preschooler, he or she can help you out in many ways. Babies can help pick up in the manner described above, and toddlers can help, too. Some toddlers can fold washcloths, some can sort laundry, some love to unload the dishwasher with you, and some can set dinner utensils on the table.

Next time your child asks for your help, help him or her. Ask him or her to agree to help you next time you need help. All of this should be done and said in as chipper a tone as possible. Get your child's agreement.

The next time you do a task that your child could possibly help with, ask him or her to help you. Give a reminder of how you helped them and asked for their help in the future. Use their help!

Depending on the age of the child, you might not want to require more than five minutes of help. You want this to end on a positive note, with all people feeling proud of themselves. On the other hand, if you have hard workers who can do more than five minutes, have them do as much as they can so that they have something legitimate to be proud of.