Different ways for children to say thank you

The holidays are about a lot of things: family, big dinners, religious services, decorating, making cookies and presents. Receiving gifts gives you the opportunity to say "thank you.""The nicest 'thank-you' of all is the one you give in person," says Cindy Post Senning, an expert on manners for kids. Ms. Senning says you should make eye contact with the gift-giver and say something nice, such as "Thank you! What a great gift!" If you don't love the present, you don't have to lie, she says. But you can find something to say that makes the gift-giver feel appreciated. Try: "It was so nice of you to think of me."

Maybe you had relatives whom you didn't see over the holidays, but they sent you presents. It's time to write a thank-you note. Thank-you notes are a "nice way to connect" with people and to make your relationships stronger, Ms. Senning says.Writing them is easy, too. "A thank-you note is just two, three sentences," Ms. Senning says. "That's all it takes. It's just, 'Dear Grandma, Thank you so much for thinking of me. I always enjoy the gifts you send.

See you soon!'" It doesn't take a lot of time for you to write a thank-you note, but it will mean a lot to the person getting it in the mail.Ms. Senning recommends having a family thank-you-note party where everyone sits around the dining room table after the holidays and writes their notes together. As a treat afterward, everyone can have popcorn or ice cream!