Here are some ideas to encourage the joy of sending and receiving letters:
Send a Letter
Mailing a letter, photo or drawing to a friend or relative is a wonderful way to stay in touch. Consider all the different occasions that people send mail – to say thank you, get well soon, happy birthday or even simply to say “hello.” See what you and your kids can come up with. Encourage your kids to write letters and make cards that are interesting and original!
A Trip to the Post Office
Visiting the post office to buy stamps can be an exciting adventure! Kids can compare the designs on stamps and use the vending machines to buy them. They can observe the mail-sorting and distribution routines. Point out all the forms and different packaging options. Look at the scales and note how weight matters. Watch the trucks pull up and leave. You and your kids will share a look into a complex system that relies on the cooperation and teamwork everyday!
Create Your Own Family Mail
Kids can design their very own postal system at home! It’s fun for them to create messages and design their own envelopes, stamps and mailboxes. They can use a basket or bag to deliver messages to nearby destinations. There’s magic in writing a message and having someone else decipher the message!
Share the Joy of Receiving Letters
Grandparents, uncles, aunts and even parents, can write to their kids. So much correspondence has been replaced by email and social media that it’s easy to forget the simple pleasure of opening and reading an actual letter. Think of how very special your child will feel when they receive a personal letter in the mail, written and sealed just for them!
Observe the Mail You Receive
Giving your kids some nonessential, incoming mail to sort can easily turn into a lesson in geography! Note the different postmarks, talk about the places that the letters come from and try to find them on a map. Also look at the stamps – there’s a reason that stamp collecting is such a popular hobby. Talk about which ones you find most interesting and why.
