Tag Archives: e-cards in the classroom

Free Holiday Ecards for Kids, Promote Digital Literacy

Are you interested in free holiday ecards for kids? Take a look at Greetings Island. It has a collection of greeting cards and invitations that can be downloaded, printed, or sent online.

Have your children or students send electronic greeting cards to friends, family, or classmates. Ecards are a great way to let someone know they are important. The gesture of sending a greeting card can mean a lot to the recipient. It can also help people stay connected.

Aside from the personal connection, sending ecards has educational value. Children can practice their writing skills. In addition, it is a relevant way to communicate digitally with others.

Free holiday ecards for kids are a great way to promote digital literacy.

Have Fun Sending Free Holiday Ecards for Kids

What makes Greetings Island a fun place to send ecards?

Fast and Easy! It is simple to make a card. The icons make it easy for young children to know which options to select.
Personalize It: Kids can upload a photo from their device. This adds a personal touch.
Suggested Greetings: Emerging writers can select from a bank of text options, without having to write their own message.
No Email Address Required: If the sender is too young to have an email address, they can download the ecard or print it instead.
Lots of Choice: Holiday greeting cards are fun to send – but so are Get Well, Good Luck, Teacher Appreciation, and Thank You cards. Greetings Island has a wide range of categories.

Tips for Getting Started with Sending Free Holiday Ecards for Kids

Before you start having everyone in your classroom or home sending ecards, you should visit Greetings Island first. Explore the site to view the selection in the online collection. This will help you to direct younger children to appropriate categories. For example, Funny has some cards that include text or images that might not be suitable for your age group. However, the category Kids has some great options that kids will like to send. If you want more options for sending ecards, check out Free E-Card Sites for the Classroom.

Since Greetings Island is free, there are advertisements. Some ads link to different card sites. This can be confusing to young users. It is recommended that before having your students or children create ecards, give them a quick tour of the site. Help them to differentiate between an advertisement link and a card selection.

Ecards and Digital Literacy

Ecards are one way to promote digital literacy. You may also want kids to send email, chat, or post on social media safely. TechnoInternet has many activities designed to teach safe online practices.

TechnoInternet has a collection of digital literacy activities for kids.

10 Tips for Using E-Cards in the Classroom

Have your students sent and received online greeting cards? Here are some tips to make finding, sending, and receiving e-Cards in the classroom a fun, easy, and worthwhile activity.
ecard

Try Different Web Browsers: Some e-Cards need the Flash program to show the message. If your web browser will not play Flash animation, try another web browser.
Do Not Click on Advertisements: Free e-Card services have advertisements. They will redirect you from the website. Ignore them.
Pick a Suitable Card: There are many different e-Cards. Some may not be for kids. Look for keywords such as Children or Kids to find those for your age group.
Find Cards that are Free: Some e-Cards require a subscription or payment. Look for keywords such as free.
Be Creative: Often when sending an e-Card you can add a note, pick a design, or select the music. Add a personal touch!
Do Not Join a Mailing List: Some e-Card services ask you to add your e-mail to a mailing list. This will cause you to get lots of junk mail. Do not check the box for this option.
Ignore Free Trial Options: You may visit an e-Card website that asks you to fill out a form for a free trial. Often you can ignore this option and still send an e-Card.
Have Patience: When you send an e-Card it may take time to reach the person. Do not worry! They will get it soon.
Check Your Junk Folder: Did someone send you an e-Card? Check your Junk, Trash, or Clutter folder. Move the message to your Inbox to view the e-Card.
Send a Link to an e-Card Video: If you are having trouble finding a free e-Card service, send a link to a video greeting instead. Search the Internet for a suitable video. Write an e-mail and include the video URL in the message.

See more about e-Cards in the classroom:

To view a list of free e-Card sites, click here.

To read 10 reasons why sending e-Cards in the classroom is an appropriate and worthwhile technology activity, click here.

To teach online digital literacy, internet safety, search strategies, and research skills in a fun way, click here.

Free E-Card Sites for the Classroom

In my last post, I recommended using e-Cards in the classroom for a variety of reasons – curricular as well as motivational. To get started, here are some suggested sites to find free e-Card sites, as well as comments on their advantages and drawbacks.

123 Greetings

Pros

free
remembers your details for next visit
format font, color, and size of the text in the personal message
set a delayed delivery date
preview the card
both sender and receiver can send same card on to another person

Cons

must accept notifications from 123Greetings but may unsubscribe later
busy page with lots of advertising
short ad appears for receiver before card loads

American Greeting Cards

Pros

no advertising on page
recipient can easily send a free reply or post a reply to Facebook; the default is a thank you for the card

Cons

not clear which cards are free – to begin, look for free cards using search feature
add a photo or voice message feature in personalized message is not available for free cards

Greetings Island

Pros

all cards are free
cards may be personalized: add stickers, edit text, font, color, size, alignment, and layout
Kids category is suitable for young students
cards may be filtered by relevant categories, such as boy or girl
Add-a-Photo cards allow the user to upload a photo from your computer
card, invitation, and calendar templates to personalize, download, and print, or send as an e-card
only need to open a free account if you want to save drafts or favorite designs

Cons

advertising on website, some ads link to different card sites
some categories, such as Funny, may include text or images some schools may find inappropriate for young children. For lower grades, teachers should direct students to specific categories, e.g., Kids

Card Boulevard

Pros

no registration or subscription needed
look for free cards
can select music for card
download app MyFunCards to send free ecards
to send the card type free for Username and cards as Password

Cons

simple, plain cards
if music is chosen, sender and recipient must download midi file

Cat Cards

Pros

all free e-Cards with cat photos for many occasions
easy to navigate
simple, minimal information required – sender only needs to submit from and to names and emails
sends you an email to confirm that you sent the free e-Card
site is hosted by Cat Depot, a nonprofit organization committed to helping homeless, abandoned, and injured cats

Cons

limited choices – just cats

Crosscards Ecards

Pros

all cards are free
track contacts and e-Cards you have sent and received
set delivery date
post to Facebook, share link on Twitter, post to a board on Pinterest, or email

Cons

the opt in for email holiday alerts or special offers is selected by default
no formatting options for personal message

Dog Breedz

Pros

lots of dog related categories e.g. Humorous, Specific Breeds, Birthday, Puppies and more
can choose a background image and a ‘dog stamp’
add an emoji to personal message
sender is sent email confirmation
can view printable version

Cons

restricted to only dog e-Cards
e-Cards only available for 15 days

The Nature Conservancy

Pros

beautiful nature photographs including categories: Seasons, Animals, Birds, and more
no advertising
card appears in email message – don’t need to click link to see card in a browser
can opt in to receive updates and invitations
set delivery date

Cons

limited choice of cards – restricted to nature theme

Regards

Pros

can select View all free cards
see dates for upcoming holidays
choose background colors
recipient can send a thank you note
sender can see when recipient has viewed card

Cons

ads on page
recipient must click link in email

World Wildlife Fund

Pros

all cards are free
beautiful photos
includes fun ‘Species Fact Cards’
can opt in to receive emails about conservation news

Cons

restricted to wildlife and nature topics

Care2 Earth to Kids

Pros

all cards have been drawn by kids
message in card has links to learning more about environmental issues
sending e-Cards earns credits to generate donations to nonprofit organizations
customize with stamps, music, background, or greeting

Cons

must click link in email to view card

MOMA

Pros

e-Cards are artwork from the Museum of Modern Art
categories such as Architecture and Design, Painting and Sculpture, Special Occasions such as July 4, Mother’s Day and many more
browse by artist
no ads

Cons

CAUTION: artwork can include images that schools may find inappropriate for younger students