I always feel a little bit of a letdown after Hanukkah ends; I fill the week of the holiday with so much energy, family fun activities and so so much LIGHT that the world seems a little dimmer afterwards but today we tried to shift that perspective to one of gratitude by making Heart Collage Thank You Cards. I love how this activity combined creativity and fine motor skills with the opportunity to show our gratitude for the generosity we received during Hanukkah.
These Heart Collage Thank You Cards can of course be used at any time, for any type of thank you, or just as a fun opportunity to explore multiple mediums in a kid-friendly craft!
What You’ll Need
- Heart Collage Thank You Card free printable template
- Cardstock
- Different red materials: paper, tissue paper, string, tape (if you celebrate Christmas or otherwise have leftover red wrapping paper, that would work wonderfully!)
- Scissors
- Hole punch and other punchers
- Glue
- Thank You Tracing Prompt free printable (optional)
Putting It Together
- Print out the Heart Collage Thank You Card free printable on cardstock.
- Set out whatever red materials you gathered, plus the scissors and punchers.
- Invite your children to decorate their hearts with whatever red materials they want.
- Fold the card and support them in writing a message of gratitude on the inside.
- If you have young ones learning how to write, they might enjoy using the Thank You Tracing Prompt. Print it out, support them in tracing the words and adding their own message or drawing in the space provided.
Finished & Loving It!
This was a really wonderful craft on a cold, rainy afternoon post-Hanukkah. I had just taken down all the Hanukkah decorations and packed away our hanukkiyot. The house felt empty and bare! It was so nice to shift that sad feeling to one of gratitude.
All four of my children enjoyed exploring the different materials while creating their heart collages. They all took different approaches and showed off their creativity.
I loved included the red tape and the hole puncher because these tools both require fine motor skills to use. The kids either tore or cut the tape. The hole puncher is one of the best tools for strengthening the hand muscles for pre-writing and writing. It’s hard work! I supported my preschooler and the kindergartener with correct hand placement and squeezing. Their interest, and the reminder for how helpful punchers are, makes me want to buy more of different types and set out more frequently!
Once they finished their hearts, we folded the cards. Even this is a great fine motor and coordination practice! It takes work, and practice, to learn how to hold paper steady, then smooth it down.
The bigs wrote their messages directly in the cards, but I encouraged my kindergartener to use the tracing prompt to help guide and review the shapes of the letters. He had the space and opportunity to write on his own as well so it was a good combination. We then folded this up and just tucked it in his Heart Collage Thank You Card.
After Hanukkah we needed a simple, but boosting activity and these Heart Collage Thank You Cards did the trick! The kids explored different materials and tools, practiced fine motor skills, and most importantly, expressed their gratitude for a really lovely Hanukkah experience!
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