How to get your children to write real letters – a parent’s guide

There are loads of great reasons to encourage your kids to write and send old-fashioned letters and postcards. Here’s how to get them to enjoy the art of letter-writing…

Remember when you were little and the post would arrive? How exciting it was to hear letters being pushed through the door? The only thing more exciting than playing Postman Pat and delivering it to your family was seeing an envelope with your name on it. 

Children rarely get mail, but when they do it’s not like grown-up mail. They never receive bills or documents charting the slow decline of investments. No! They only receive the fun stuff. Birthday cards, party invitations, letters from pen pals, and the occasional parcel. Their post is the kind that makes your day.    

Which is why I encourage my daughter to write letters. Because the joy she feels upon receiving something fun through the post is the same joy someone else will feel upon opening an envelope from her. Spread the love of writing and receiving letters around, I say. Pay it forward with a postage stamp (just make sure you’ve got the correct postage).    

Why don’t you write me?

In these digital days, letter writing is a dying art. It’s unfortunate but true. Texts and emails will never be the same as proper correspondence handwritten on a piece of paper. They will never be as personal or charming. How could they be? Handwriting is so distinctive and reflects a person’s personality. Your writing style is your calling card. The way your letters loop or slope to the side is your signature. Encourage your children to practice theirs. 

Letter writing is the perfect way to improve penmanship. It’s also a great exercise for grammar and spelling. Most importantly, it gets children to think clearly and organise their thoughts. The more they do this, the better they will become at expressing themselves. Clear thinking doesn’t just happen, it requires practice.

Writing thank yous to aged aunts or top secret letters to pen pals is the perfect exercise. 

How to write a letter

When teaching children how to write a letter, there are some elements that are traditionally included:

• Address and date. This goes on the upper right hand corner. 
• The greeting. Greetings and salutations are very important. For informal letters, Dear_________, does just fine. Top left, on the line below the date. 
• The body. This is where you communicate your thoughts. Write chronologically, starting with an introduction that states what the letter is about. Then share some interesting details about your life and ask some questions about the person to whom you are writing.
• The inscription or closing and your signature (kids love developing and experimenting with their signature!). This goes on the lower right hand side. Ever popular are Love, Best, or Your friend
• The recipient’s address written on the front of the envelope and a return address on the back.

However, having said all that the main thing is to get them writing and not to let formal rules get in the way of creative flow. A page with lots of illustrations is fine!

Finding a penpal 

Penpals aren’t hard to find. Cousins are a good bet, or fun uncles and aunts if they’re lucky enough to have them. Grandparents are guaranteed to write back.

Ask colleagues and friends with young kids if they’d like to have penpals. My daughter has penpals in Bristol who she simply adores –  two sisters of a similar age to her, daughters of a colleague.

A couple of years ago, I sent out a request on Facebook to friends of mine asking if any of their children would like to exchange letters with my child. My daughter now has a pen pal in Los Angeles (the son of someone I knew in college). They swap letters, pictures, photographs, LEGO cards, and so much more. 


 

But frankly it doesn’t matter if the penpal lives on the next street and sees you every other day – the excitement of opening a letter is the same.

If you go away on holiday, take some paper or buy some postcards so your child can write to friends and family back home. I usually have my daughter do this after a particularly fun day. That way, she has plenty to say.  

Five more fun places to write to

Besides family and friends, there are other people your child can write to who will send them return post:

1) Their favourite Disney character – they’ll get an autographed postcard in response. 

2) Blue Peter – You can apply for Blue Peter badges, though I’m told badges can take up to ten weeks to arrive. 

3) Santa – Once November rolls around, check in with the Royal Mail’s website. They will make sure your child’s letter reaches Father Christmas who will definitely reply. 

4) The Queen –  Yes, you can pen a letter to Her Majesty. Instructions on how to begin and close your letter and where to send it can be found here. It is said, most correspondence gets a reply.

What to write on

Even if you’re writing to the Queen, any piece of paper is good enough to send, but if you or your little one fancy something a bit fancier, Papier has a great selection of personalised stationery. 

Jango kids’ desk by The Children’s Furniture Company


And if you need a lovely, durable children’s desk, do check out The Children’s Furniture Company’s range of clever, strong desks!

So go! Get some paper and start your child writing. Who knows, you might discover you love sending handwritten correspondence too…
By Misti Traya – a writer and mother from London

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