It always ticks me off when we buy a child a gift and never hear from them. There’s nothing better than a good old fashioned thank-you note to make me buy them an even better present the next time. I fear it’s becoming a lost art – not only for children, but for adults as well.

I am loving the Make-Your-Own Thank You Notes kit from Made by Hands, a great company owned by Chicago moms Dena Hirschberg & Ava Berry. They’ve created a large selection of timeless art activity kits that are fun, packed with supplies and allow for endless creative possibilities.

The Make-Your-Own Thank You Notes kit (so new it’s not even available on their website yet) contains 15 cards & envelopes, over 600 pop out shapes, a glue stick and a cute book with great examples of when & how to make thank-you cards and ideas for “thoughtful thoughts.”

If we all do our part to teach them graciousness while they’re young, perhaps women who don’t send thank you cards after their baby shower will not exist 15 years from now. We can only hope.

Check out the whole Make-Your-Own series. They’re all just as fabulous, and will keep your child entertained for hours without pigeonholing their art into the “make an exact replica of this” project.

We’ve got a Make-Your-Own Thank You Notes kit to give away! To be entered in the random draw, email theopinionatedparent@gmail.com with Thank You in the subject line and name one of the other kits in the Make-Your-Own series. Contest closes at midnight MST on 5/11/07. Congratulations Nancy!