There are so many ways to say thank you. Send a card, give someone a hug, or just smile big and say, “Thanks!” But don’t save thankfulness for Thanksgiving. Here are some fun ways to be a more thankful person.
Giving Thanks from A to Z
It’s hard to feel thankful if you don’t know what you’re thankful for! For every letter of the alphabet, fill in one thing (or more) that you’re thankful for. Challenge your family to see who can fill in his or her list first. We did a few to get you started.
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
Thanks Around the World
All over the world, people say “thank you” in many different languages. Try it out! Arabic ???? (“shuh crahn”) Mandarin (China) ?? (“SHAY shay”) Dutch dank je wel (“DAHNK yeh well”) French merci (“mehr-SEE”) Hausa (Nigeria) Na gode (“NAH GO-dee”) Korean ?? ?????? (“kahm-sah-hahm-ni-da”) Russian ??????? (“spah-SEE-bo”) Spanish gracias (GRAH-see-ahs) Swahili (East Africa) asante (“ah-SAHN-tay”) Ukranian d’ákuju (“dya-KOO-you”)
Make a Pop-Up Thank You Card
Making a cool pop-up thank you card is easy. Here’s what you need:
Two pieces of 8 ½ by 11-inch cardstock or other heavy white paper. Cut one of the pieces to 7 inches by 10 inches (18 cm by 24 cm).
- Ruler
- Scissors
- White school glue
- Markers
Directions:
Fold the 7-inch by 10-inch (18 cm by 24 cm) cardstock piece in half to make a greeting card that’s 7 inches by 5 inches (18 cm by 12 cm).
From the second piece of paper, cut a rectangle that’s 1 inch by 3 inches (2.5 cm by 7.5 cm). Fold that piece of paper in half, then fold a ½-inch (1.5 cm) flap in on each end (see picture). This makes a little C-shaped stand to hold your pop-up decoration.
Put the card flat on a table. Open the top flap halfway and prop it against a glass or something else so it stays open.
Put glue on the flaps of the pop-up stand, then glue it to the middle of the card (see illustration). Let the glue dry for a half hour or so before you touch the card.
On the second piece of paper, draw your pop-up shape with markers. Make a bunch of flowers, a heart, or a drawing of a gift someone gave you. (Make sure the pop-up shape isn’t too big, or it will stick out when the card is closed.)
Glue the pop-up shape to its stand. Let the glue dry for about an hour.
Fold the card like you would to put it into an envelope, pressing down firmly.
Decorate the front of the card, then write a thank you message inside.
Pop-up cards are also great for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and birthdays. Check out some other ideas for pop-up cards at www.robertsabuda.com/popmakesimple.asp.
A Table Full of Thanks
Here’s an easy Thanksgiving craft your whole family can do together. You only need two things:
- an inexpensive white or light-colored cotton tablecloth that fits your family’s table
- narrow-tip permanent fabric markers
Put the tablecloth on your Thanksgiving table before you add dishes and silverware. Before you eat, ask everyone to use a fabric marker to write on the tablecloth three things they’re thankful for, then add their name and the year. (Tip: put a piece of paper under the cloth when you’re writing in case the marker bleeds through.)
While you eat, go around the table and share what you wrote. Use the same tablecloth every Thanksgiving, and write more thanks on it each year. Someday you’ll have a table full of thanks, and you’ll also have lots of great memories to talk about.
How to Write a Thank You Note
When someone gives you a gift or does something really nice for you, send them a thank you note. It makes them feel great, and you’ll feel good too. But take some time to think about what you write in the note. Here’s an example of a not-so-great thank you note:
Dear Grandma,
Thanks for the scarf.
Love, Peter
If you send that note, Grandma will think someone forced you to write it when you really didn’t want to. That will make her feel bad. So to make a thank you note sound truly thankful, add some details like this:
Dear Grandma,
Thank you so much for the beautiful scarf you knitted me! I love the colors, and it goes perfect with my winter coat. I’ll always think of you when I wear it. I wore it just yesterday to a football game, and it kept me really warm (even though our team lost). See you soon!
Love, Peter
