Does anyone have any time saving creative ways to thank other kids for the gifts they give to a child at a party? I normally write out my own thank you's for my kids, but also find I sometimes just "let it go" because I just run out of time and feel badly for not sending one. I also find that many of the other parents don't seem to send out thank you notes at all, which also makes it hard to motivate myself to do it. Is there a fast, creative way to get the kids involved to do something that isn't tacky (unfortunately I know I can't just zerox one generic thank you note). I could probably get them to write one thank you note, but the thought of sitting with a 6 year old boy and getting him to write 10 or 15 thank you notes sounds like a bit of torture for both of us (don't bother suggesting it is a great lesson for a child in thankfulness - my life/home/schedule is too crazy and it's NOT happening)! I do try to give a great goodie bag to each child, maybe I could just put in a small note with "Thanks" signed by my son? Has anyone else done that? Any advice or hints would be great!
Sending thank-you notes is a lost art, but don't be discouraged. You'll stand out as a class A chick.
Have some stationery made for your boys--just regular paper with their names at the top and some random pictures of their favorite things, maybe even watermarks. This will get them excited about writing on it, even if they don't write much. It'll be personalized no matter what they write, and the other kids and parents will enjoy the effort so much that it won't matter that they've only written "Thank you" in their beautiful script. They could even use crayons.
It shouldn't be costly to have a printing company do that. You could even do it yourself: Open a blank document in MS Word (if you're graphically challenged) and type one son's name in the font and color of your choice. Paste in some pictures, maybe the same one every third page. Choose a paper color/type/size and print it. You can go to kinko's and have them printed in color.
I hope that your boys will enjoy that.
You can send E-thank you notes. Just write out what you want to say, copy and paste, insert gift name. Evite has them.
If the event has not occured, then take pictures of each person with your kid then print them up and have your child write thanks and his name on them. You can add your own personal note as well and mail them off. Not only are they a bit quicker for you and your child, but your guests get a memory of the event.
I am one of those slacker moms who doesn't do thank you's because I don't have the time and I feel bad later. As a parent I would be impressed to receive a thank you from a 6 yr old. I think at his age it would be fine for him to write a generic "Thanks for comming to my party..." and put it in the goody bags. At this age it's more for the parents anyways. We have received a photo thankyoy in the mail where the theme was a 50's poodle skirt party and the birthday girl took a picture with each friend. Then her mom did the foam photo frames to make poodle frames and the b-day girl just signed the back of the frame with her name. I have not done it, but I think you can get things pretty pre-made where all you have to do is glue the picture on. It was nice because it didn't end up in the trash, it's on the fridge.
123greetings.com has great e-cards. you can get everyone's email address and send to all at the same time. Don't forget to make them kid-friendly and mom-friendly at the same time.
I have picture cards made that say Thank You For Making My Day Special (or something along those lines)and send one to each child and family member.
I like the idea of taking pictures of each child at the party, but in case you missed the opportunity you can take pictures of your child playing with the gift that was given and send that with a quick note written on the back.
I am the most "well intended" person I know! I'm HORRIBLE at finding the time to do thank you notes (especially for kid birthday's), so this is what I do for parties. I make up a little thank you note, sometimes even a poem that says something about "thanks for coming to my party and for the gift and for being my friend". I type it up and print it off. My child signs it and then we roll it up like a scroll and put it in with their party favor bag.
I've had so many moms tell me "that is such a great idea" when they come to get their kids at the party. I don't sense that they are offended that I didn't make a card, pretend my kid wrote it that says how much they appreciate the specific gift.
I personally am not offended if we don't ever get thank yous for birthday parties.
good luck!
April
You can attach a little "Thank you for celebrating my birthday party with me" on the goody bags.
I have the same issue with 3 kids! Last year I gave each child a boquet of blowpops from the Dollar Store, I grabbed a bunch of blank cards at the Floral Dept. At Kroger and hole punched the corner. Put ribbon through it and tie around the blowpops. I just write thanks for celebrating my bday with me and your great gift.I passed these out at the party, treat and thank you taken care of at one time! Another thing I did this year was at the party I took a group picture, went to Walgreens, they have kid thank you bday templetes, typed the same general bday thanks, it takes about 5 min to print it all out, and they provide the envelopes for about $7 for 20 picture printouts. I received a lot of compliments on this, who doesn't like getting a goofy group picture with all of their friends?! I told them all to make a goofy face too, it was adorable! For my 10yr old son they had a really cool Pirates of the Carribian border. Hope this helps!
Wendy
Hi,
During the birthday party, I take a picture of each guest with my daughter or son after she/he has opened their gift. This helps me remember who gave my daughter/son what. It makes great memories from her/his party too! Then, after the party I print out the pictures. I have a little note typed up something like "Thank you so much for coming to my party! I'm really enjoying the ___________ you gave to me. Love, ____________. I then sit down with my daughter or son and I let her/him choose which guest she/he wants to respond to first. They just fill in the blanks, and we stuff the envelopes and away go the thank you notes with the pictures. It really is easy to do, and my children enjoy recapping their party as they look at the pictures! I also have gotten compliments from parents saying how much their child enjoys the picture.
For both of my sons birthday parties in january (they turned 1 and 3)i went to cvs and made thank you cards with their pictures on them. everybody loved them. So everyone received a thank you and their picture, it was a big hit and easy.
Keep it Simple and always remember (probably from your childhood as well as mine), Kids LOVE, LOVE, LOVE getting mail. It really doesn't matter what is inside, the fact that there is an envelope with their name on it, is thrilling enough.
Use fill-in-the-blank thank you cards and include a picture of your child with their guest in it. It makes a great momento.
If you haven't already had the party, you could take a photo of each child at the party and send that as a Thank You. Or if you have an automatic camera take a picture at the party and send it home with them. I like the idea of a "note" in the goody bag too.
I totally can relate. Getting my kids (even the 13 year old) to write thank you's is like pulling teeth...I have thought in years past that I would confiscate all toys immediately afterwards and until they write their note of thanks they could not play with that toy ~ nice in theory but that never happens. I think for me that it has a lot to do with personal discipline.
I get so caught up in the business of day to day life and seemingly small things can get lost. After a bit of time goes by, it feels like it is too late. So you have 2 boys ~ different birthdays I imagine. What if you had the notes addressed ahead of time (by you, of course)...your child can write the same first/last line ~ thanks for coming to my party ~ and ~thanks for being such a nice friend and sign his name. Leave a space for "I really like my new ____! The excitement and anticipation of the event may make them feel a little more motivated and you could do it in advance so there is less stress on everyone (even on e each night). This way, the child is only having to fill in one short line after the fact!
The other thing I do is a Valentine idea that could be modified for this project. I have my kids draw a colorful picture (they are 4/6 so this may not work as well older kids). I include "Happy Valentines Day" in their own writing and their name. I take it to Kinko's and have it reduced to fit 6 images per page. I cut it out and back it with colored paper, trim the edges with decorative scissors ~ punch a hole, run ribbon through it and attach it to whatever treat we do (usually a large homemade cookie). It does take a little time but they are so cute and really makes a sweet keepsake for you! Hope this helps.
i've seen moms provide a thank you with the goody bag...for example..."thank you for coming to ___'s party and for the gift! You really made his day special". good luck! generic but covers all bases.
KISS- You might try a card that is already printed with "Thanks for the Gift" and then have your child draw a simple picture on the inside- one thing kids like is book by Ed Emberly- it's an entire book that shows you how to make pictures from finger prints. The child does the fingerprint- you add a few lines- et voila, you have a homemade picture.
One of my kids friend's used to take pictures at the party and put a picture in with the thank you note. I never did keep up on thank you notes, but sending them is a good habit and they are always received with Joy. In a few years, your child will be able to write their own!!
Tami
Hi Kim. I didn't do this myself, but my son went to a party and the thank you note he received was somewhat generic, where there was pre-printed "Dear ________," and the child filled in the blank. Then the "Thank you for the _______." etc. However, the best part was the mom took a picture with the birthday boy and that gift so everyone's card had a picture with the gift they had given to the birthday boy. I don't know if this is easy for you to do, but I thought it was a fun creative way and there was not much writing involved.
Good luck!
This is what I have done in the past. It takes a little bit of time and works great in the end.
When kids call to respond that they will be at the party, I write the thank you note and address the envelope.
I simply write, thank you (name) so much for coming to my party. I hope you had a great time. I really like the ....
your friend,
Then after the party, all I have to do is fill in the name of the present, maybe add another sentence to make it more special, and then I have my kid sign her name and they are ready to go.
I've also taken a group picture at the party and sent those out with the thank you cards too.
I kind of like your idea about having him add a thanks for coming to my party not to his treat bags. If I got a thank you note in my goody bag, I probably wouldn't expect another thank you note.
good luck.