Personalized Stationery Makes a Great Gift for Teens and Children

Finding the right gift for a child or teenager is not always easy, especially since their tastes can vary wildly as they try to find their own way to express themselves.  Clothes are easily outgrown and may not be able to keep up with changing fashions, while toys might soon be considered childish by image-conscious pre-teens.  An alternative that many people might not think of but that can be a big hit with children, teens, and pre-teens is personalized stationary which can not only be in the child’s favorite colors or designs but will also be immediately identifiable as belonging to them.

Children and teenagers alike often enjoy having unique school supplies that they can show off to classmates, so buying personalized stationary can guarantee that your gift is something that no one else will have.Whether it is a set of personalized polka dot memos in a gift bag for a special young lady or a silly animals memo book complete with a matching sticker set for a younger child to show off, personalized stationery makes a great and memorable gift.Not only will the stationery that you buy for them be stylish and feature designs that they like, but having their name printed on every sheet will give them a sense of importance that they might not find with other gifts.

In addition to basic memo pads and stationery items that a child or teen can take to school or keep on their homework desk, a number of personalized stationery sets are available which can serve a broader purpose.  Buying a set of personalized sports-themed cards can let a young athlete send invitations to upcoming games to favorite friends or relatives, or can let them send personal notes and thank-you cards showing off their favorite sports.  Similar card sets can be found and personalized according to the child’s tastes if they are not a sports fan or athlete, letting them use a twin hearts design or an artist’s palette motif on correspondence cards for any invitations or notes that they might want to send.

If the child or teen that you want to buy personalized stationery for has a pen pal or writes a lot of letters, you might even consider buying them a set of personalized address labels in order to let them give their letters a more “grown up” look which better fits their interests.  You can give floral address labels that match personalized floral stationery, or personalized blue stickers which can be used to seal envelopes as an alternative way of putting a return address on letters while giving them an entirely new look.Younger children might enjoy animal stickers or personalized dump truck stickers instead, featuring more cartoon-like characters but serving the same purpose.

One advantage of buying personalized stationery for children and teens is that it can give them a greater appreciation for letter-writing, and writing in general.  Since the stationery is personalized with their name they will be more likely to want to use it, and this can lead to activities such as finding a pen pal or creative writing, both of which can lead to a better grasp of language and grammar as well as an increase in overall creativity.  Unlike some educational toys that many children and a number of teens balk at, encouraging writing by giving personalized stationery can have a definite effect without the child shying away from it because they perceive it as being educational.

When deciding to give personalized stationery to children or teens, take the time to consider your options so that you can find just the right type of stationery to match their interests and personality.  There are a number of different options available from stores and shops that sell personalized stationery, with a number of designs that have been created specifically with children and teens in mind.  This will let you choose a stationery pattern that the child or teenager will be happy with, letting them express themselves a bit more through the look of their paper and other stationery instead of just having regular undecorated paper to use.

Though it might not seem like an ideal gift at first, you will find that many children and teens will get as much if not more use out of personalized stationery than they would from many other gift ideas.  Not only will it see a lot of use, but it may inspire a passion for writing and creativity in the years to come which few other gifts can match.  This way you will be able to not only give a gift that they will enjoy now, but also a gift that can influence them in a number of creative ways for years to come.

About the Author

Shawn Thomas is a freelance writer who writes about style, etiquette and gift giving.

Mr.Thomas often discusses specific ideas for gift giving such as personalized stationery and other kinds of stationery in general.

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Flexible Working and Teleworking - Five Strategies For Success

Flexible working and teleworking are taking the world of work by storm. And they will become even more important in the UK from April 2009 when the Government plans to extend the right to request flexible working to all parents of children up to 16.

Many businesses are nervous about the change. But there is mounting evidence that flexible working leads to increasing productivity and reduced overheads, quite apart from the positive impact on work life balance.

So what are the challenges that business managers and employees face with this new way of working?

Some bosses wonder how they are going to manage their staff or check they are working when they can no longer see them at their desks.

And some employees wonder how self- motivated they will be if they are remote working and are worried that they will miss the office banter and camaraderie. This may be a particular worry for younger people and those without families living at home.

But there are many proven ways of overcoming the challenges of flexible working. Here are five key strategies that will make the transition to flexible working a smooth one for your business.

The first strategy is to make the most of ICT. Use teleconferencing and instant messaging as a way of keeping the team in regular touch with each other. Set up a Virtual Private Network (VPN) so your staff can work remotely or on the move as effectively as in the office. Use laptops, BlackBerries and other technology so your staff can work anytime, anywhere, increasing productivity.

Secondly, be clear about what the specific outputs are that you expect from each employee and make this the way you evaluate their performance. Flexible working is all about management by output. The days of 'management by eyeball' are about to end.

The third strategy for successful flexible working is to maintain close communication despite not working at the same location Those who are most successful at flexible working are usually those who are the best natural communicators. Natural communicators manage to transcend the issue of working in remote locations and maintain effective communications with colleagues. One simple trick is to make sure you speak regularly on the telephone. Do not lapse into the habit of having only email contact. It is far easier to detect any underlying issues or concerns when you speak on the telephone and it is also easier to motivate your staff

Next, it is vital to have regular team get-togethers if some or all of your team work remotely. Regular face- to- face team meetings, say every week or fortnight, help keep everyone on board with the overall vision. These meetings also help motivate your remote workers and help them see where their role fits in. What's more, meeting up socially really helps to keep that all important team dynamic going. Some staff who are flexible working miss the social aspects of working in an office and so regular get-togethers will help fill that gap.

The fifth strategy is to recognise that people do have a life outside work and make sure your staff know they are not expected to be on 24 hour call, just because they are remote working. When they have the flexibility to work remotely rather than in the office, many people tend to work longer hours than before.

This is partly because they use some of the time they would previously have used on travel to work actually working instead. They also tend to work when they are at their personal peak, whether that is early in the morning or late at night. Indeed, this is partly why flexible working and teleworking tend to lead to improving personal productivity.

However, some remote workers find it hard to switch off and this can lead to stress and health problems. So make sure your staff know they should make full use of the Off button on their mobile phones and computers.

Follow these five strategies and your business can enjoy the advantages of flexible working, with increasing productivity, reduced costs and improved work life balance.


About the Author

Julian Cowans is Project Manager of actnow flex, a project funded by the South West Regional Development Agency, Cornwall Enterprise, BT and other partners. actnow flex offer a range of tips for managing flexible working employees for UK businesses.

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