Write it. Stamp it. Mail it. Now.

Writing notes and actually mailing them is something I’m very passionate about. I get that texting and emailing has an absolute place in our lives, but I hope you are also taking time to teach your children the importance of the good old fashioned handwritten note. Here are five easy ways to be sure you are doing so..

1. Send handwritten thank you notes for gifts received

It seems like a no brainer to me that kids should express their gratitude by popping a thank you note in the mail to anyone that was kind enough to send them a gift. But, honestly how many notes do you receive from kids these days? I would assume if you are like me, not too many. I want my kids to grow up in this digital age with a strong sense of the importance of the handwritten note. Taking the time to send someone a meaningful thank you card easily tells that individual that they are appreciated. I still do my best to remind my kids to write thank you notes to anyone who thoughtfully mailed them a gift. I also try and teach them that a note is personal and should not be something that could be transferable to anybody. Make it unique and special to the person that you are writing to. Make it something that could not be written to anyone else. Thank you notes do not need to be written to those that have given you gifts in person and that you have thanked face to face! According to Emily Post, the etiquette expert, The rule of thumb is that you should send a written note any time you receive a gift and the giver wasn’t there to be thanked in person.

2. Send postcards when you travel

Writing and sending postcards along our travels was part of my road schooling curriculum. See, I can teach my kids math all day long (which I didn’t) but if I’m not teaching the fundamentals of being a thoughtful individual with gratitude for the loving relationships in their life, than what kind of teacher am I? Our foursome picked out postcards almost everywhere we went and mailed them to their Grandparents and other friends and family along our journey. Postcards are a really inexpensive gesture that can go a long way! Sending a little love from afar never hurt anybody! Not even my 13 year old boys…

3. Lead by example

I sat right there with the kids and wrote to important people in my life as well. I let our dear orthodontist know that everyone’s teeth were still intact from West Virginia. I wrote our friends at St. Vincent de Paul to keep them updated on our travels and let them know when we would be back to volunteer. I tried to remember anyone that asked for us to write them from the road. I also bought this fun template where I could make envelopes out of maps and sent a few of those off as well.

4. Print your pictures and send them off! Otherwise, what’s the point of even taking them in the first place?

I’m a big picture taker and lover of memories. I refuse to be the person that takes all of the photos and does nothing with them though. If you are spending your time and energy taking them than by all means do something with them! Get them printed! Organize them. Scrapbook them. Send them off. No one else is going to do it but you.

I took time to make these cards for the individuals I worked with during our KOA partnership in 2014. I wanted them to visually see how much we loved our time at the various KOAs and what better way to show them than through the pictures I took along the way. Shutterfly makes this so easy and cost effective. I think notecards like these are so much more personal than any store bought card as well. There are always specials and times of free shipping, so plan accordingly!

5. Have a birthday card organizer book

I live by my birthday card organizer book at the beginning of each month. I do my best to remember to mail out birthday cards and this organizer helps me be intentional in that. I can pick out cards in advance and store them in the pocket pages for when it’s time to send them. I then have each family member sign their name and add a personal note if they so desire. Then off it goes to hopefully get to the individual before their special day! There is no way I could do this without this handy book! Do you use one of these? I highly suggest one, if your goal is to be more deliberate in sending out cards this year!