One of the most important and undoubtedly the most useful skills you can inculcate in your child is to know how to properly say thank you. Of the many responsibilities parenthood brings with itself, teaching your teen how to appreciate someone and acknowledge their efforts is the most valuable. It’s important that teens know that when people help them pick up the lemons life throws at them, the least they can do is write a thank you note to let them know how much grateful they are to them.

What a simple thank you can do for your teen?

Several studies by positive psychologists have shown that writing a thank you note, saying it verbally or acknowledging someone’s effort in written form, is not just good manners but also beneficial to self. Being able to say thank you indicates that a teen has got his or her p’s and q’s right. This also strengthens social relationships.

After receiving thank you notes from kids, one might experience a surge of positive emotions and help a teen cope with stressful situations in life.

Here are some things to remember for parents while teaching their teens how to write a great thank you note:

Thank you notes are perfect when…

The best time to teach teens how to write a thank you note is when they receive a present and cannot show their gratitude to the giver in person. It is crucial that your teen acknowledges a person’s effort that they have put in to send a present to them. Tell your teen that a thank you note is a small token of gratitude to tell someone that you value what they did for you. When your teen is writing a thank you note, ask them to mention that they have received the present and how much they love it. Writing about how useful it has been is also a great way to applaud someone for their efforts.

Your teen should write a thank you note if they have been houseguests at someone’s house. An overnight stay at a friend’s place does not require your teen to write a thank you note. But if the stay gets prolonged, teens need to tell their friends how grateful they are for having them over and apologize for any inconvenience they might have caused.

Make sure that teens write thank you notes as soon as they receive a present or return home from someone’s house.

Handwritten notes

Sending an email is much more easier than writing a thank you note with pen and paper but the latter is much more effective when you want your teen to show their appreciation and respect. They are more personal and have a greater effect on the receiver. Even if the person for whom a thank you note is intended for checks his or her emails regularly, ask your teen to send a quick email followed by a handwritten thank you note. A pre-printed thank you note in which the only thing your teen has to do is fill in the blanks is just not the right way to express gratitude. It seems very impersonal and indifferent.

Make sure it’s not too late

If your teen is having qualms about sending a thank you note to someone because it is too late, tell them it’s ok to acknowledge someone’s efforts even after two weeks. Never let them stop themselves from saying thank you just because it’s too late.