5 Tips on Letter Writing with your Toddler from Andrea Mclaren
One of the funnest parts of Write_On last year was people sharing their letter writing experiences with us. Andrea McLaren is one such new friend who wrote to tell us how much fun she'd had writing letters with her daughter Willa. Andrea has so kindly contributed 5 inspiring tips for those of us wanting to write letters with young people. You can follow Andrea and Willa's adventures for Write_On 2015 on Instagram!
My daughter Willa and I really enjoyed the #write_on campaign last year. Over the month of April 2014 we sent 35 pieces of mail – some of our mail flew as far as Germany, and some of it landed as nearby as our own neighbors here in our apartment building. We sent stickers to little friends we have not yet met, and thank-you cards to Willa’s grandma and nana. We sent paintings of donuts and watercolor handprints and lots and lots of photos.
Last year Willa was three years old when we started #write_on. It was a great catalyst to educate her about the mail process while opening her eyes to the endless potential joy of sending and receiving good old fashioned mail. I had a pen pal during my teenaged years, and have always really loved sending and receiving mail so I knew it was something I wanted to share with Willa. We can’t wait to get started with #write_on this year. Here are a few tips for enjoying the postal service with your child.
1. Start by sending your child some mail.
It could be as simple as a card with a few stickers. Print their name large and clear on the envelope, so when they receive their mail, he/she can recognize their own name. Willa loved this! She was just learning to recognize the letter W around that time, and it was a massive thrill for her to see that there was a letter with her name on it that she could open and devour on her own. She has loved it ever since. Every time we check our mailbox: “Mom, is there anything for me?!”
2. Keep an eye out for mail-related items and visuals throughout your day and point them out to your child.
You will be blown away by how quickly you will begin to recognize every post office, mail box, mail truck and letter carrier in your neighbourhood. Here in Canada, we have bright red mail collection boxes, and Willa quickly began to enjoy spotting them with a “MOM! MAIL BOX!!”
3. Read about mail and letter writing.
We happened upon a few mail-themed books during thrift shopping and browsing at the bookstore that really helped Willa understand the basics of the postal service. Our favourite, still today, is found in Richard Scarry’s “What Do People Do All Day?” and it is titled, simply “Mailing a Letter”. We also love the classic story of “The Seven Little Postmen”.
4. Ask your child how they would like to contribute.
When Willa was three, she loved to decorate the outside of the envelopes with stickers and drawings and scribbles. A good tip is to let the child go nuts all over the envelope, and then affix the address, return address and postage afterward using white labels over top of the artwork, to ensure that the addresses are legible.
5. Make sure to send mail to someone nearby so that your child can go visit and see evidence of his/her mail at the recipients’ home.
When Willa saw the photos and card that she had sent her grandma on the fridge at Grandma’s house, it helped her to complete the circle of mail delivery. It was also really cool for her to see the envelope that she had decorated after it had been stamped and processed through the mail system.
I hope that these tips help you and yours enjoy #write_on2015! We will be sharing more about our experience throughout the month of April on my Instagram (@andrea.mclaren) so feel free to take a peek or send us your mailing address so we can send something your way.