Thank You Notes Teach Children Good Manners
Not many people consider thank you notes to be educational, but the reality is that they’re more important than you might think. Some people may believe that the practice of using thank you notes is outdated. However, nothing could be further from the truth.
Although it’s true that children shouldn’t be forced to write thank you notes if they don’t want to, since their goal wouldn’t make sense, the reality is that, through example, empathy, and understanding their significance, children will learn that this practice is much more important than it seems.
There’s always a good reason behind a thank you note. Some people learned to write thank you notes since they were very little after getting gifts to be courteous and, thus, want their children to do the same. It can be very beneficial for children to express their gratitude through these letters.
How to use thank you notes correctly
To use thank you notes correctly, you should take some things into account, such as:
- Appreciation. The act of writing thank you notes makes children think about the care involved in buying and wrapping up the toys and gifts they receive. This is because the true gift isn’t the present itself but the sentiment behind it. Realizing that friends and family care enough about them to be thoughtful adds a positive emotional aspect to receiving gifts.
- Gratitude. There’s more to gratitude than the recognition that gifts come from someone rather than appearing out of nowhere. The art of being grateful makes people happy. It’s a wellness tool. When children realize what gratitude means, they’ll be closer to feeling real happiness in their lives.
- Writing for wellness. Many children use computers instead of writing words on paper. Nevertheless, there’s a connection between expressing feelings while writing and personal wellness. Children and people who write about what they feel in a notebook or personal diary, for example, will enjoy personal benefits, such as stress reduction and emotional release. If your child practices this type of writing, they may continue writing in the future, not only to express gratitude but also as a way to enjoy and reduce their anxiety later on in life.
- Good manners. We’re sure your children will be grateful in the future if you teach them good manners through thank you notes now. Thank you notes are useful social tools that make people stand out from the crowd, helping them forge friendships and cause a big impression.
Make it a habit
The habit of being polite by writing thank you notes will help them as they mature. Hand-written thank you notes are just one of the ways that your children can show appreciation for gifts. However, leaving gratitude on paper instead of using another method is beneficial, as doing so teaches them life lessons that you don’t want them to miss.
To make sure that the thank you notes really teach your child to be polite and so they better understand the gratitude they feel towards others, it’s best for them to make it a habit. For this to happen, they’ll have to see you do it. They’ll have to see you write your loved ones thank you notes or notes about your feelings.
A great idea is for you to write your own children thank you notes. You can do this to express your emotions or to thank them for something good they did during the day. You can also thank them for their good behavior. This will make them feel special and they’ll know how good it feels to be recognized.
In addition, they’ll also want their loved ones to feel good because they already know first-hand how it feels to receive a thank you letter. This will make them more likely to write their own in the future.