Make thank-yous fun with kit

Like many parents, Carrie Wright of Sherwood Park, Alberta, believes that every gift-giver deserves a thoughtful thank-you note. But she also realizes that for her 7-year-old son, Jaiden, the idea of sitting down to write such notes isn't exactly appealing. So Carrie turns a chore into a craft by letting Jaiden decorate blank cards using stamps and stamp pads — "a special treat!" Our binder takes Carrie's idea a step further, organizing supplies into an easy-to-stow and ready-for-action kit that gets kids excited about creating unique thank-you cards.

How to outfit your kit

Turn a humble three-ring binder into a one-stop card-making shop by adding homemade supply pockets, a handy printable chart, and plenty of irresistible craft goodies. To jazz up the outside of the kit, have your kids glue cutout decorations to sheets of card stock, write a title with marker, then glue the sheets to the cover and spine or slip them into a view binder's clear front and spine pockets.

You will need:

— Envelopes, blank note cards, and craft supplies (see suggestions below)

— Plastic ziplock bags in sandwich, quart, and gallon sizes

— Colored duct tape

— Three-hole or single-hole punch

— Three-ring binder (we used a 3-inch view binder from an office supply store)

— Printable Thank-You Note Tracker or Birthday Calendar (print them free at FamilyFun.com/magazine).

1. Determine the quantity and size of bags that will best fit your supplies. We like a smaller size for stamps and labels, while the quart size is perfect for markers. Gallon-size bags may need to be cut down to fit.

2. For each pocket, sandwich the bag's bottom edge between two lengths of duct tape, creating one inch of overhang.

3. Use the binder's rings to mark the correct positions for holes, then punch the holes through the overhanging tape. Avoid puncturing the bag.

4. Affix a printable chart inside the front cover with tape or stickers.

You said it

"To get our kids to express written gratitude, we make thank-you note writing into a family night. The notes are much more fun to work on together. After we're finished, we play a game and have dessert."

— Christine Beaulieu, Riverside, Calif.

Stock up

Stock your binder with supplies like these:

address book

glitter glue

return address labels

postage stamps

pencils

stamps and ink pad

eraser

sharpener

markers

scissors

hole punch

Bonus Idea: A binder kit provides a quick and budget-savvy solution for sending birthday wishes, as well. Filled with the same supplies as our thank-you note kit, it lets kids create fast and festive cards.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.