Tips and Ideas for Teaching Students to Write Thank You Notes in the Classroom





I once read that one handwritten letter is equal to getting 100 emails. They are that powerful! 


Thank you notes take time and truly show that you care and are grateful for something that someone else did. And why wouldn't a handwritten thank you note hold so much power? Good manners go a long way, and after all, writing thank you notes is one way that kids can show not just good manners, but gratitude, too!

I love using thank you notes in my upper elementary classroom. Over the years, I have found that there are three major benefits of writing thank you notes. Writing thank you notes throughout the year helps to:




I make writing thank you notes a part of our classroom community common practice right from the start of the school year. We write thank you notes throughout the year for different reasons. Read on to find out why we use thank you cards, different ways we use thank you cards, and some must use tips to helping your students write powerful thank you notes!





The art of writing thank you notes is not loston me! Call me old school, but it is very important to me to teach my upper elementary students how to write thank you notes.

Why?

One reason I like to use thank you notes in the classroom is to help students understand and practice gratitude. Gratitude is one of the many positive emotions that we can express. It helps us to focus on what is good in our lives and be thankful for what we have. When students learn that expressing gratitude shows appreciate for others and their kindness, they want to do it all the time. Students learn that by expressing gratitude they can help strengthen the positive relationships that they have in their lives. Showing gratitude also feels good. Evidence shows that expressing gratitude helps both the giver and receiver feel happy. And let's face it, we can all use a little more happiness in our lives!

Teaching students how to write thank you notes not only reinforces important classroom concepts like gratitude and letter writing, but writing thank you notes is a life long skill and habit that I want my students to develop at a young age.

The best part about writing thank you notes is that it is contagious! Once we get into the habit of writing thank you notes and cards in the classroom, the kids are always looking for new ways to express their gratitude.





We write thank you notes for many reasons in the classroom. We express gratitude for both big and small things, to all of the important people in our lives. 

At the beginning of the year we have our first lesson on how to write a thank you note and what should be included in a thank you note. (See the list of tips below for ideas.) After the first few times of writing thank you notes, the kids understand quickly when a thank you note should be written, and how to write them.

Here are some times throughout the year that we write thank you notes:

✏️ Guest speaker or presenter

✏️ Teacher/Nurse appreciation

✏️ Special staff member days like: custodian, secretary, volunteer, bus drivers, or any special day that takes place at school

✏️ After special school events, we thank the organizers

✏️ To family members for special days like: Grandparents' Day, Mother's and Father's Day, Thanksgiving, holiday season

✏️ To each other in class: We like to thank each other for being helpful, good friends, and an important part of our classroom community

✏️ Student ideas: The kids come up with the best ideas for sending thank you notes, ask them to share their ideas.


Try these free thank you note shoutouts, perfect for students to give staff. 





Remind your students of the following tips when writing thank you notes to help the recipient feel special:


✅Handwrite or use cursive writing in your notes to make them personal.

✅Use eye-catching paper and neat handwriting.

✅Personalize each thank you with specific information: refer to people by name, state specifically what you are thanking them for, and include specific information about the event or item you are thanking them for

✅Try to send thank you notes right away, but sending anytime, even late, is better than not sending at all!

✅Take your time and make your thank you note special: try using the recipient’s favorite colors or draw a picture that they would love.

✅Send thank you notes as often as possible to develop good habits, even for small, kind gestures. They make both the giver and receiver feel good!

✅Have fun and take pride in the thank you notes that you write!


TEACHING TIP: Model how important it is to you to show gratitude through thank you note writing by sending your students thank you notes. You do not have to send students thank you notes just for gifts. Send thank you notes to students as a way to show gratitude and appreciation.

You can send thank you notes to students for many reasons like:

👍being organized

👍working hard

👍being a classroom model

👍showing kindness

👍helping an adult like a substitute

👍or any other reason, big or small, that you want to celebrate!


The more you spread gratitude, the more students will, too!


Own this set of thank you notes? Try this teaching tip: Print just the covers so that you have thank you cards with a blank inside.Now the cards can be cards kindness, gratitude, and be used for students to give to each other!




Dive in when it comes to showing gratitude and expressing thanks in the classroom! 


Teach students how to write thank you notes and why expressing gratitude is important. You will not only be teaching your students important skills for the moment but you will be helping them to develop important life skills that will last them a lifetime.


Want to get started sending thank you notes in your upper elementary classroom? Grab these free thank you note templates and make sending thank yous a practice in your classroom, too!





You might be interested in reading:


Looking for easy-to-use Thank You Card and Note Templates?  See more HERE.






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5 Easter Spring Activities for the Upper Elementary Classroom

5 Easter Spring Activities for the Upper Elementary Classroom


Celebrating special days and holidays in the classroom is definitely my thing! Using holidays, seasons, and what is happening outside of the classroom during lessons is a sure-fire way to engage students and increase their participation.


But when it comes to religious holidays, I use themes that align with the holiday rather than focusing on the religious beliefs. By taking this approach, all students can participate in the lessons, and no one is left out.


Easter is one of those holidays. It is an exciting time of the year, mostly because it is spring. The warm weather, rebirth of trees and flowers, and all things chocolate and eggs are surely on the forefront of students' minds. Harnessing that energy and excitement into content-rich activities and meaningful tasks with spring and Easter vibes is a great way to keep the students learning in your classroom all season long!


Here are five activities that I LOVE to do with students during the spring and Easter season.


1. Nonfiction Reading and Research

easter and spring nonfiction reading for kids



When it comes to bringing the holidays into the classroom, try focusing on non-holiday themes that align with the upcoming holiday but are not holiday/religious specific...like this one!

My students LOVE reading and writing about cottontail rabbits. We read this nonfiction article about these special bunnies. As we read, we focus on the facts and opinions in the article and of course, practice close reading strategies.

Following the reading, students must reflect on whether or not cottontail rabbits would make good house pets. It is a great way to tie together reading, writing, holidays, and real-world activities in one happy project!

Other non-holiday, nonfiction themes perfect for this time of year include:
  • How Chocolate is Made
  • Learning the History of Peeps
  • How Carrots Grow
  • Signs of Spring
  • Life Cycles
  • Plant Life and Adaptations
Try out the cottontail rabbit activity for FREE below.





2. Community Building

easter and spring community building activities for kids

I love using any excuse to build and strengthen our classroom community. After all, building community is an ongoing process that does not stop after the first two weeks of school!

This activity is simple yet powerful!


  1. Have students write their names with a pencil on a small piece of paper and fold it into fourths. Place all the names in a bucket or bowl.
  2. Have students one at a time randomly draw a name from the bucket or bowl, making sure that they did not pick themselves. If they pick themselves, have them show you before selecting a new name.
  3. Students then write a letter to the student whose name they picket. Their letters should be positive, upbeat and include specific examples of why they are happy to be that person's friend and classmate.
  4. For Easter, we use the theme...You are one of my favorite peeps! The kids love it! They write a letter for their classmate AND fill a peep with positive words about their classmate.
  5. When all students are all done creating the cards for their classmates, they deliver them. They really love both giving letters and receiving them!

Want to try this community-building activity? See it here.


3. EGG-Stra Special Self-love


student self love activities for easter and spring


In addition to spreading love and positivity with their classmates, I love encouraging students to share some love with themselves!

During this time of year, I have students reflect on why THEY are egg-stra special. I want my students to understand that taking time to feel good about themselves is important and a great habit. Students brainstorm a dozen things that they LOVE about themselves with this activity. The kids love decorating the eggs and love celebrating themselves.

I have found the key to doing self-love activities like these is to have students share their work. Having other students celebrate and listen to these self-love writing projects validates the students' thoughts. Before beginning an activity like this, I do tell students that their projects will be shared.


4. Time for Science



Grab a pack of marshmallow bunnies and have students experiment!

Before doing anything with peeps, I love having students use their observation skills and senses to describe these candies. Students observe with magnifying glasses and record their observations. They take their ideas and write descriptive paragraphs using their senses when they are done.

After that, I have students hypothesize what will happen when the candy is placed in water. We hypothesize what will happen when it is placed in vinegar. Then as a class, we decide on another liquid to place it in. Some ideas include soapy water, orange juice, and soda. I have these on hand so that we can use what the class decides.

This hands-on activity is a lot of fun and leads kids to conclude that there is a lot of sugar in these favorite treats!


5. Try a Read Aloud

easter and spring read aloud for upper elementary

My favorite chapter book read-aloud to read with students is The Chocolate Touch written by Patrick Skene Catling. This book is a play on the classic story King Midas. Instead of everything turning to gold, everything the main character touches turns to chocolate. It is a quick read, but always well-loved by the kids. The story leads to great discussions on greed, healthy eating, friendships, and family. And of course, it is perfect timing for candy overload during Easter time!


No holiday activity list is complete without my favorite picture books! These read alouds are among my favorites to share with students during the Easter season.


Picture book read alouds perfect for spring and Easter:

See the entire list of my favorite spring read alouds HERE.


When it comes to the holidays in the classroom, stick to timely themes! You may not be teaching the holiday, but the thematic fun associated with is always a crowd-pleaser. 




You might be interested in reading:



Looking for meaningful spring and Easter activities that kids LOVE? See more HERE.



5 Easter Spring Activities for the Upper Elementary Classroom




          LOVE this post? Pin to save these ideas!


5 Easter Spring Activities for the Upper Elementary Classroom








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