Thank You - Tacky or Cute?

I think it's very cute. We've been doing this with my daughter since she was old enough to draw. A huge pet peeve of mine is people who don't send thank you notes, but think it's okay to e-mail and say thank you. Now THAT is tacky! Everyone will appreciate it much more than a store bought card.

I think it is lovely and you are setting the stage for him to handle his own thank you's later in life. Keep up the good work. : )

Cute! I've received similar thank you's from my nieces/nephews/friend's kids and never ever thought it was tacky. Even before I had kids, my fridge was graced by their lovely artwork.

People who took the time to give your vhild a gift, really appericiate a written thank you. May he only sign his name and the message is from you, you are showing your son to take thetime and appericiate others. It goes along way.

There is nothing tacky about a thank you note & teaching your child to "write" them! I vote CUTE!

Do it! I had my kids do the same thing when they were little. Now I give them Thank You cards and they write a short note and decorate with stamps and pictures. I think it helps them appreciate what they rec'd. In the craziness of opening up gifts, they sometimes don't realize who gave them what. Writing a thank you note helps them remember. Start now because if you wait until he's older, it will be a drag for him and stressful for you.

Hi M R,

Our little 2 year old looovvvesss to color. He has really been developing his art over the past year. He is now almost three and can draw trains and lately cows jumping over the moon. He also tries really hard to stay in the lines. I think it would be cute to allow him to help make the thank you cards. About three months ago we asked him to draw a picture for his grandpa's birthday and he took it very seriously. This time he would not draw in front of us. He took his crayons and paper and hid while he drew his picture. He did a great job and my parents were soooo impressed with his talents. I always appreciated homemade over commercial. Shows more thought and attention.

Blessings,
L.

I think it's a great idea, and especially that it gets your son involved in sending a thank you note. I think that's an important value to encourage. If I have to send anything in the mail to a family member, be it a thank you note or just a check, I often grab one of the pieces of "art" my son's preschool sends home with him each day. I fold it in fours to make it into a card and then write whatever I need to inside. It's nice for my mom and grandma to get something from our son, and it's a great way to recycle, too.

I do this all the time! My 3 year old just drew all his thank you cards, and I wrote across the top to say thank you, and my 10 year old actually folded his paper and drew a picture on the front and wrote his thank you on the inside. It's great practice for manners, and lasts longer than store bought card.

Definitely a good idea. Keep up with doing that as much as you can!

My option is it is not tacky at all. Getting your son involved with the thank process at an early age is a very good idea. You would surprised how many children never send out thank you for gifts that they get. Like it is a waste of their time to send a note. They think because they say thank you at the party or when they get the gift they should not have to send out thank yous.
I like your idea and I think you should go for it..

God Bless,
S.

I think it's a cute idea. I've also seen people send a picture of their child playing with the gift from that person and that's cute too!

it's a wonderful idea! i know i appreciate art from children and it's a great way to have him participate in writing the thank you's. i'm sure everyone will love it. i would suggest maybe just a picture (or scribble, as the case may be) on paper, though. original art is so much more meaningful than a page from a coloring book.

Nothing says thank you like sending a personal touch. It is a very tastful thing to do in allowing your two year old to be apart of the thank you process. Most people have gotten out of the respectful way of saying thank you they just get the gifts and keep it moving. Most people love seeing children's art work and they will appreciate even more from a child they have a personal connection to and this wll be considered a gift from him. My only suggestion is that you do not use a coloring book but let him create his very own art work it is more creative and personal for both the child and guests.

I think that is a cute idea. I usually write out a thank you card and let my son "sign" it. Your idea would give him a lot more input in the process. I say go for it.

I think it is a very cute idea. Anything personal, especially to family members, will mean a lot.

Use whatever you would like! Let him scribble away! It is the wonderful thought that counts and every recipient will appreciate all the effort your son put into his thank you's! Enjoy this age and let him be who he is...always. xo

Not tacky at all! My son just turned two and I've been using his "artwork" to wrap birthday presents for quite a while now. He loves to color and he's recognizes his work when we give a present to someone.
H.

What a great idea! Way better than store-bought, mom-written and it's never too soon to teach him to be gracious. But I would not use the coloring book - make it all "him" and use plain paper, cardstock or construction paper & you can add the message.

I think that is a VERY cute idea!

Definitely cute!! And a very good lesson for your little one. More time and effort spent thanking those that gave...what a nice gesture of thanks.

Cute and thoughtful. I let my daughter 'sign' all the cards and thank you notes we send and then I write a little something as well. I think it teaches good manners and shows that you are teaching your child to appreciate what he is given.

TACKY??? asolutely not!!! CUTE......I admire your imagination. Lucky you to still have imagination and be able to put it to use. If mainly family who will be receiving the thank you's,I would think they would be ecstatic to receive something very personalized. I know I would be happy getting a thank you much less or more so as personal as you are making it. I say go for it!!!! cute cute cute......all the way J.

I think it's a great idea! We do this all the time and everytime we do the recipients are very greatful. I always put the ones from my neices/nephews on my fridge. Have fun with it!! :)

Absolutely cute! I make cards all the time from my four-year-old's "colors" drawings. Judging from the cards' appearances on my friends' and family's refrigerators, I think they are genuinely appreciated.

So cute and personal. You should do it. In fact I send notes to family all the time and drop in a colored picture from my daughter and she is two!

Sending a thank you is never a bad idea! And I think personalizing w/ your sons coloring is a great idea! Could he contain his artistic abilities to the left side/inside of a thank you card? Just a thought..

Cute. I always have the kids incorporate some kind of their own way of saying Thank You. I think it teaches them that it is proper to send Thank You's

I like the idea. It is personal and fun.

My vote is cute -- do it! :)

I'm a grandma and I would love receiving a thank you note like this. I think it's a great idea!

That is a very cute idea, and I think everyone receiving those would love them. It is something that he made and is still considered a Thank You card.

I think that is a really cute idea! Another option would be to buy a package of blank cards and envelopes. You can get a pack of 50 each at a craft store like Hobby Lobby in the scrapbooking section. Then have your son color, use markers, paint, or glitter glue to decorate the front of each card. (You can even add "Original art work by (your son's name here)" on the back of each card). Then on the inside you can write the thank you note.

I would try to limit the decorated Thank you's to only close family memebers though so your son doesn't get frustrated or worn out, especially if you have more than 10 thank you notes to send. You could always let him decorate with stickers for the others or use pre-made Thank you's.

Appropriate. It will also save the planet for your child as well.

Absolutely cute - and a wonderful way for your son to be involved. We've always sent homemade thank-you's for my daughter who is now 4. It gives it that personal touch that you just can't get from store bought thank-you's.

I think that sounds super cute!

I have always let me kids "write" their own thank you notes and everyone seems to love them. I think it's means more to people than just a write it because you have to thank you from the parents. You could always put a note in with the picture if you felt you needed to. With my grandmother who is a traditionalis I put a note in. on the other hand with my in-laws, we have the kids color something and then scan it and e-mail it to them, because my mother in law is a big computer person. If she wants she can print it out or put it in her digital picture frame.

I can't imagine anyone viewing such a gesture as *tacky*. I think it's admirable to teach your son at an early age to take the time to express gratitude for a gift. At his age, this is one of the most appropriate things he could actually participate in.
Way to go for an awesome idea!

personally made thank you notes mean so much more to me to give or receive-go for it.

we do it that way all the time! its a fun project too!

I think it is very cute!

Another easy idea is to take a picture of your son from the party and have a thank you card made from Walmart. Have it made from your son...thanking everyone for halping celebtrate...Love, your son

Our relatives like getting the picture

M R,

I think it's cute! I have my son (7) and daughter (4) make their thank you cards, so that they can show their appreciation. I have never used coloring book pages -- usually construction paper. We even have made the envelopes out of paper to boot! I like handmade things and I have found that folks really appreciate that they took the time. The family members also then have something to hold on to forever. Go for it!

S.
Mom of 7yo and 4yo

CUTE CUTE CUTE!! It's great that you are getting your son involved with the Thank You note process at such a young age. If you're feeling it's tacky, then just tuck his coloring into a traditional thank you note on stationary. Either way, you've got the right idea!

I think it is GREAT! Your motive is about helping your son learn your values and start him off young and making him feel capable of doing this himself. Too many young people today don't know about things like thank you notes or doing things on their own because it is a hard thing to teach. GOOD FOR YOU MOM!! CUTE CUTE CUTE!!!

Honestly, I'm torn on this one. I think everyone close would love a "picture" from your son. However, I would get cardstock in a 4 x 6 size and let him color on that. Maybe stickers, too. I just think it'd look cuter. Then on the back write the Thank you. Just my thought.

I think it's a great idea. I grew up always writing thank you notes to family and friends when gifts were given. I'm finding that thanks are a thing of the past. It's so important to instill this form of graditude in our children. By having your son draw the picture is a start for him to understand the importance of thanking people. I have my daughter either color a card or I take a picture she drew and will tape it on the front of a blank note card then either have her work on her name or scribble on the inside. I also talk to her as we do it why we thank people. It's a great way to give something personal and not have to throw away pictures your children make.

i think its more thoughtful that he participate.
cute

Adorable. Not tacky at all.

I'm stealing your great idea. I'm going to have our 3.5 yr old do his own this year when he turns 4.

T.

Wonderful idea! My mom taught me that I had to write thank you notes at a very young age. It kills me now to see how many of my friends DON'T write notes. Fun project, adorable, and a great lesson. GO YOU!

wonderful idea and much more meaningful then a store bought thank you!!

That's a wonderful idea!

I think that sounds very cute. Not tacky at all.

It's not tacky! Especially if going to close family members.
You can also probably find a thank you card on line that you can print out and he can then color it. : ) Have fun!

S

Cute!!! Not tacky at all. I've been doing this with my son since his 1st birthday and all holidays. People comment on how much they love this. I either use pictures from a book, or plain paper that he draws on himself. He's almost 3 now and knows he needs to write a thank you note whenever he receives a gift. Good luck and have fun!!
M.

My family has always prefered notes with the personal touch. When my kids were your son's age, I folded card stock and then let them paint on the fronts of the blank cards. We used these anytime we sent a letter to family. Certainly not tacky... :)

What an absolutely lovely idea! I wish I'd thought of it when my kids were young!! We've also have our kids send thank you notes, and now that they're in high school, it's become second nature. Good for you for teaching gratefulness as such a young age.