I’ve come a long way with customized stationery since I designed my own wedding invitations back in 2002. I almost wish I was kidding, but I tweaked a Publisher template, typed out our wedding details in Lucida Cursive, and took those invites to a print shop.
If you have no idea what any of that means, be thankful. It was great for 2002, but now, not so much.
*This post is sponsored by Basic Invite. See disclosure for details.
Like many things I created in my younger days, this invitation makes me want to laugh and cry at the same time. It’s special because it was our wedding invitation and I made it just for us, but compared to today’s customized stationery it seems like it belongs in a museum.
Here’s the thing, that ancient Microsoft-born wedding invitation wasn’t my first experience with customized stationery and it wasn’t my last. I’ve always loved designing my own invitations, cards, and announcements.
And my kids? Well, they love to pull up a chair next to me and watch me create. That’s why I’m always looking for ways to let them experiment with stationery design and put their creations to use. They can use this for practice with graphic design, language arts, and making decisions.
Using Customized Stationery with Kids
I admit that it may not sound ideal to have to kids calling the shots with customized stationery orders, but it can be a great experience for them. Here are a few ways to get them involved:
1. Practice writing letters
There’s something about personalized items that gets kids motivated like nothing else. That’s why customized stationery is a great way to help kids practice writing letters and addressing envelopes.
By writing letters to family members and friends, kids gain experience with spelling and grammar rules outside of textbooks and routine learning assignments. They see the day-to-day application of these things in action.
You could certainly grab some notebook paper to accomplish this, but allowing kids to design their own stationery gives them a sense of ownership, as well as the chance to get creative and share their designs with others. They get to create, write, and give all in one action. That’s winning, for sure.
2. Gain design experience
Whether you’re helping with a baby shower for a friend, creating birth announcements for your own bundle of joy, or ordering birthday invitations, don’t be afraid to get kids involved in the process. Invite them to help you design invitations, thank you cards, and announcements.
Give them chances to experiment with all the template, color, font, and placement options available. If they create something that doesn’t fit your needs, explain what you’re looking for and show them how to create it for next time.
Remember, you don’t have to order the designs they create; instead you can make any needed adjustments before you order. They can gain valuable design experience because there are no risks involved.
3. Cultivate a spirit of gratitude
In a world where entitlement seems to run rampant, gratitude doesn’t always come naturally. Along with the same language arts benefits that come when your kids write letters, sending thank you cards helps replace that entitlement with thanksgiving.
Whether your kids receive gifts, kind words in a discouraging time, help in a tough situation, or something completely different, taking time to recognize those things is powerful. That’s where thank you cards come into the picture. This personal act of gratitude helps train children to see gifts others often disregard.
A great way to make a thank you card even more personal is to use a custom design. Your kids can make adjustments to premade templates, but they can also upload a fun photo or photo of some artwork to create a one-of-a-kind thank you card.
Where to Find Customized Stationery
Giving your kids a chance to customize stationery orders only goes so far if you don’t work with the right company for those orders.
Enter Basic Invite. Basic Invite is website known for their custom invitation and stationery printing, countless color and template options, and online previews and custom samples. That makes them a great choice for using customized stationery with your kids!
Connect with Basic Invite
There’s more to Basic Invite than customized stationery for your kids. They also have a stunning selection of customizable baby shower invitations, inexpensive birth announcements, lovely holiday cards, wedding invitations, and much more.
Learn more by visiting the Basic Invite website and by following along on your favorite social media platforms:
You’ll also want to be sure to check back with Basic Invite regularly to get information on special offers and discount codes.
What about you? How have you used stationery with your kids? I’d love to hear any tips or experiences you have in the comments below.