Cool Christmas Projects for Kids: Thank You Notes

'Thank you' notes have long been a part of my family's Christmas tradition. Each year when we were young, our parents dutifully recorded each gift from out of town or absent friends and relatives. We were given a certain time frame, usually over the winter break from school, during which these notes must be written.

There was no cheating, either. We hade to write an actual letter to each person, we had to thank them for the specific gift, etc. Here are some ways to get this tradition going in your family, or to make it a little more fun for everyone.

Cool Christmas Projects for Kids: 'Thank You' Notes - Step 1

Start before Christmas on the preparations. Why not take advantage of the Christmas spirit that's flowing freely before the big day?

Put those excited youngsters to work creating blank thank you notes for use after the holiday. If you already have your kids making home-made Christmas cards, this can be done at the same time.

You probably have a good idea of the approximate number of thank you notes your kids will be writing. Extras don't hurt, as they can be saved for next year.

Even young kids can enjoy this project. You may want to have younger children simply draw / color on one side of the paper, or you can draw outlines for them to color. Older kids can get more involved and use stencils or cut out Christmas shapes.

Thank you notes in any form are a wonderful gesture. Imagine the joy friends and family will feel when receiving a thank you note custom-created by your kids.

Cool Christmas Projects for Kids: 'Thank You' Notes - Step 2

Ensure that your family Christmas tradition allows for keeping a gift list. After all, it's easier to write thank you notes when you know why you're saying thanks.

For older kids, you might consider asking them to keep their own lists as they open presents. This will help remind them of the thank you notes to be written. It will also make them more aware that you are taking this seriously, if it is a new tradition for your family.

It is probably best for you to write the list if your children are younger or easily distracted. To make sure that you don't miss anyone, have you kids open one gift at a time, and ask them (or check the tag) who sent the gift.

Having a list of the Christmas gifts each kid receives, and the people who sent them, makes it easy to see that no one gets missed when writing thank you notes.

Cool Christmas Projects for Kids: 'Thank You' Notes - Step 3

Now we get to the fun part! It is best to decide ahead of time when your children will write their thank you notes.

You can make it a tradition to sit down on Christmas evening and write notes as a family. This will help remind kids that there is more going on than receiving gifts on Christmas.

If you would rather give your kids more time, it is a good idea to set a deadline.

For example, tell them that all thank you notes for Christmas gifts must be written before Christmas break is over. This will keep the thank you notes from interfering with homework time. You can also tell them that you would like them to write one note a day, every day, until they have finished their "thank you list".

You may have to do the writing for younger kids, but you can still keep them involved. Ask them what they would like their thank you note to say. Ask them what they like best about their Christmas gift, and if they have anything else that they would like to say to Grandma or Uncle Joe. Definitely if your kids can write their own names, they should sign their own thank you notes.

With very little effort you can begin a family Christmas tradition of writing thank you notes that will give friends and family something besides bills to look forward to in their mailbox.