I have two ideas for thankyous at Harry's party and can't decide which one to use, or do both! Rather then a thankyou card after the fact, I was thinking of either:

1. Making each child their own placemat. It's a Toy Story theme, so my idea is to print the child's name on a piece of paper with a few Toy Story images. Then on the back, print a pic of Harry in his Woody outfit with the wording "Thanks for coming to my 4th Birthday party! Hope you had a Toyriffic time! Love Harry". Then I'll laminate them and the kids will use them as placemats at the party and also get to take them home to use over.

2. Make a colouring book with Toy Story printables that I've found on the internet and make the cover page the pic of Harry with the above wording. I'll give the kids the colouring books to take home with their goody bags

3. Do both but only do the personalised thankyou on either the colouring book or the placemat.

Which idea do you like best?

I couldn't vote because they are both great ideas! Changed my mind...I think the children would prefer the coloring book.

BTW Clare, I love your picture!

I didn't vote either. I'm not sure which I like better. Is it ok that you don't thank each individually for the gift they gave? I just don't know the etiquette on this. I would think you should thank each for their own gift. But, then again - I don't think I would care too much or be offended if you were to do one of the above options.

I think they are cute ideas but even if we walked away with one I wouldn't consider it to be a replacement for a thank you card. Yesterday at Emma's party I gave away goody bags to all of the kids as a way to say "thanks for coming." I would consider those things to be along the same line as a goody bag.

I LOVE the placemat idea! :up: I am going to have to "steal" that :)

I think they are cute ideas but even if we walked away with one I wouldn't consider it to be a replacement for a thank you card. Ditto. But I like all the ideas, but I think the placemat one is unique and I'd go with that.

I have to agree with Jenny and Alyssa (go figure). There is never a replacement for a thank you card sent for a gift received. To me, the placemats and coloring books are party favors - and I LOVE the ideas!

I really like the placemats, but I would send Thank You notes after the party as well.

Mary

Okay this is obviously a cultural difference b/c people don't do thankyou cards for kids birthday parties here. I've done it before and I think people thought I was wierd :lol: I still think a thankyou is in order though (even though we never get them from anyone else) which is why I was thinking about doing a cute thankyou favour.

I think either sounds fine...I'd go with whatever was easiest for you to do! I'm constantly fascinated by our cultural differences!

We don't do thank you cards for a childs bday party here either :dunno:

I love the placemat idea too!! I think the thank you card thing can vary here regionally too. As for me.. I say I'm moving to Australia!! :tongue2:

I think they are cute ideas but even if we walked away with one I wouldn't consider it to be a replacement for a thank you card. Yesterday at Emma's party I gave away goody bags to all of the kids as a way to say "thanks for coming." I would consider those things to be along the same line as a goody bag.

There will be a goody bag as well.

I'm a little surprised at how adamant a lot of you are about thankyou notes. I think you'd get a big shock if you attended any parties here. We're lucky to get a "thanks for coming" when we leave a party, let alone a thankyou note. Last year I did thankyou cards for all 3 parties. I attached them to the goody bags. B/c I prepared them in advance, I couldn't thank them for the specific gift so I just wrote "To ....., thanks for celebrating my birthday with me and thankyou very much for your thoughtful gift. Love ......". I found most of the thankyou cards amongst the rubbish on the floor on in the driveway after the party. The kids discarded them in their rush to get into the goody bags. I was more then a little offended by that. That's why this year I'm thinking of doing either the placemat or colouring book, at least that way it's something that the child may keep.

If thank you notes aren't the norm there or they are not expected, then I don't think you need to do them at all. I'd feel guilty about not sending them myself...even though I don't get them from every party we go to. I still think a lot of people in the US expect them as you can see by these responses.

Since we're sort of on the topic...do you open presents during the party so you can thank people in person for their specific gift?

Since we're sort of on the topic...do you open presents during the party so you can thank people in person for their specific gift?

Yes. I think the kids like to see the reaction when their gift is open and they also like to see what the birthday child got. And the birthday child feels pretty chuffed that everything is for them :lol:

It doesn't happen at every party we go to though. Most of them save all the gifts for the child to open after the party is finished.

Every party I've gone to for kids they have opened up the gifts there, but I know it's a trend (and I've seen it recommended in several parenting magazines) to not open the gifts. Personally, I agree with what you said...that it's good to see the birthday child's reaction (er, usually!) when they see what you gave them...and most of the time the other kids like it too. I also think if you open the gifts and thank people as you go, I don't so much expect a thank you note after...although like I said, I think it's still more the norm here than not.

Interesting to see the cultural differences on thank you notes!

As for when to open the gifts, we did it during the party at one of Joe's and it didn't work very well, so since then we've opened them after the party and it's been much better. Once they get a bit older, we will definitely do them at the party. But when you're dealing with 3 year olds, they don't get the concept. The kids start fighting over the toys and by the end, the birthday kid is totally overwhelmed and doesn't care any more and you don't get to see any reaction to the gifts.

Dennis

Most of them save all the gifts for the child to open after the party is finished.
Off topic: I hate that trend!!! I would majorly pi$$ed if I went to a party and didn't get to see the child's reaction when they opened the gift. :complain:

To answer your question: I like the coloring book idea. We don't use placemats. I know Ellie would love the coloring book, though.

My friend actually made placemats for a similar event this year and the kids loved them. They were really cute! But they weren't a "thank you" which I think is a unique and special touch.

I'm gonna join in here, a bit late, and ask what exactly the value is for thank you notes for a young child's birthday party... maybe there's a cultural issue for me too but I just don't see the point when the birthday child isn't old enough to write the cards himself and his friends aren't old enough to read them.

Ugh, I must be a huge social misfit!:nod: :blush1: I hate thank you cards, for the most part. How many of you save them? What's the point of writing some "personal" TY card for your gift that's just gonna get chucked in the garbage soon after it's read (because if all your friends send you TY's for birthdays, showers, etc and you saved them all you'd need a CLOSET to store them!)... how many of you actually write someone something so personal and touching in your TYs that the card/note is worth keeping?

Ok, sorry for the rant... maybe my coffee was too strong this morning. This is just a BIG issue for me, for many reasons that I don't care to go into. So when I read this thread and LOVED the idea of a placemat or coloring book (very cute! :thumbsup: ) and then read some of the responses I was just floored. With the amount of work that Clare's (or any mother of a pre-schooler) already putting into making this party rock for her son and guests, it just seems that getting hung up on mailed "personal" TYs is petty. :scratch: JMHO, not looking to offend anyone, maybe just make you consider it from a different perspective. I hope...

I'm gonna join in here, a bit late, and ask what exactly the value is for thank you notes for a young child's birthday party... maybe there's a cultural issue for me too but I just don't see the point when the birthday child isn't old enough to write the cards himself and his friends aren't old enough to read them.
My view is that the kids aren't old enough to buy the present either...so really, the thank you is for the parent who went and bought, wrapped, and delivered the gift. You're right...the kids don't know any better!

I just think a simple card is the least you can do when someone has spent time and money to get you (or your child) a nice gift. I do it now for my kids, but will expect them to do it themselves when they're old enough. :nod: It's just good manners, IMO.

I don't think thank you notes are necessary for kid's parties until the kid can write them by himself or herself.

Love the place mat idea!

I like both your ideas, Clare, but I think the placemat one is SO unique! And I know my kid would LOVE something like that!!!!!! (of course, we are placemat users, so... )

Here in Australia thankyou's are normal for major parties with expensive gifts like engagements, weddings, or christenings.. but I have NEVER received a thankyou for the kids birthday party... We give out lollybags as thankyous, and the fact you took there kids of there hands for a few hours is generally enough thank you anyway :lol: if I got a thankyou for a kids birthday party I would think its weird too...

BUT i think its an awesome idea to give them something to take home with them other than lollies that make them hyper.. I voted the colouring book cause I know my kids would love that the most!

What's the point of writing some "personal" TY card for your gift that's just gonna get chucked in the garbage soon after

This is my issue with thankyou cards too. I put so much effort into them last year, it took me days to make them and I was really proud of them. But I found most of them on the floor amongst the rubbish and I'm sure most of the parents didn't even read them before the kids threw them away. I was upset about that. So that's why I like the placemat idea b/c at least it's something that they "may" keep.

(thanks for your support too, m'honey! :) )

Clare, we mail the thank you cards after the party, we don't hand them out to the kids with the goody bags. At this point they are for the parents.

Dennis

Clare, we mail the thank you cards after the party, we don't hand them out to the kids with the goody bags.

Dennis

I realise that. And I've done that too. But I'm sure that they end up in the rubbish bin after they've been opened.

Every party I've gone to for kids they have opened up the gifts there, but I know it's a trend (and I've seen it recommended in several parenting magazines) to not open the gifts..

Do you know why that is? Is it to avoid jealousy and/or fights over the gifts? :scratch:

Do you know why that is? Is it to avoid jealousy and/or fights over the gifts? :scratch:

That's one reason we do it - the kids don't get the concept and fight over them. Also, by the fifth or sixth present, the birthday child is pretty much done and doesn't really care anymore. So the people who are expecting to see a great reaction to their gift don't get one anyway.

Dennis

I realise that. And I've done that too. But I'm sure that they end up in the rubbish bin after they've been opened.

I'm sure they do :) But as was mentioned before, I think it's a cultural difference. Here it's considered pretty rude not send them.

Dennis

That's one reason we do it - the kids don't get the concept and fight over them. Also, by the fifth or sixth present, the birthday child is pretty much done and doesn't really care anymore. So the people who are expecting to see a great reaction to their gift don't get one anyway.

Dennis

Emma just had her third birthday party over the weekend. There were a ton of people here (we both have big families). She opened every single present quite happily. Sure some of the kids "helped" here and there but the parents were great to step in when the kids were overstepping their bounds.

My view is that the kids aren't old enough to buy the present either...so really, the thank you is for the parent who went and bought, wrapped, and delivered the gift. You're right...the kids don't know any better!

:thumbsup:

Emma just had her third birthday party over the weekend. There were a ton of people here (we both have big families). She opened every single present quite happily. Sure some of the kids "helped" here and there but the parents were great to step in when the kids were overstepping their bounds.

I'm impressed! When we opened Frances' presents - after the party (and after nap) - she really didn't care at all by the end, she was totally overwhelmed.

Dennis

We always have other kids trying to help open the presents but we've never really had a problem with jealousy or with the birthday child getting bored. I think my main fear is when the gift is a double up or something that the child doesn't like and they act disappointed in front of the gift giver! :blush:

When I've had my kids parties, I usually end up opening most of the gifts. The kids do get bored after a few or they find one they want to play with for the rest of the day, but I just think it's so rude that someone spent time and money to get a gift and doesn't even know if the reciever (or his/her parent) even likes it.

I like the placemat idea .... but then again, having the colouring book front cover personalized is quite fun too ... (sorry! can't decide!) We don't use placemats ourselves but if we were given one, it would probably become a regularly used item just because it was there.

Thank you notes for bdays aren't that common here either really. I do them for Hanna's party and I make them very unique (for her 1st, I made copies of her eating her cake -- it was all smushed on her face & hands -- and glued it to a coloured background and then wrote on the back my thank yous but I signed them from Hanna). There are still some fridges that have that picture posted to this day because they loved the uniqueness. :)

I say, do what is quickest & easiest.

I just think it's so rude that someone spent time and money to get a gift and doesn't even know if the reciever (or his/her parent) even likes it.

That's what the thank you notes are for :)

LOL! I think this is interesting and worthy of a couple of spinoffs... :bolt: