How to Teach Your Child About Mail | Letter Writing Activities -

Ready to teach your child about mail and sending cards to loved ones? This FREE guide will help get letters sent to your little one (making the process even MORE fun) and share simple ways to write back. Does it get much better?

Sign up below to get step-by-step instructions for teaching your child about writing letters to loved ones. A PDF with easy-to-customize templates will instantly be delivered directly to your mailbox.

Why teach your child about mail?

Well – mail is definitely sticking around, even if it’s less vital now than in the past. But writing letters, thank you cards, and connections through the postal service is still an important life skill. And can transfer into e-mail etiquette down the road – which is often overlooked in today’s world.

Teaching your child about mail, by modeling how mail is delivered, opened, replied to, and sent back is a great way to show and encourage responsibility. Not to mention, your child will LOVE receiving their very own mail.

Step one: Receive mail from family and friends

Send out a mail request! Let your friends and family know that you’re teaching your child how to write letters and would LOVE to receive some mail. Every card received will result in a return letter (ideally! ha!).

Step two: Respond to your mail

Once you’ve received your letter, write back! There’s no need to make it elaborate – keep it simple and fun. You can keep it simple with markers and stickers. Or get more elaborate with paint and glue! No matter what, don’t stress if your child isn’t loving it! Just keep it simple – then make sure THEY put the stamp on the postcard and drop it in the mailbox.

The printable postcards in my fun and free guide to letter writing make this step SO easy. You can even prepare them ahead of time.

Remember to have age-appropriate expectations from your child. Toddlers can color and decorate their cards. Elementary students can write short messages. Middle schoolers and older can write thank you cards or poetry!

I love to use simple stickers and markers to decorate the cards or postcards! Our children always enjoy using markers and stickers, so they’re more likely to engage with an activity for longer periods of time. Older kids will love doing this part as well.

Step three: Request confirmation from the recipient

To finish off the activity, ask the recipient to take a selfie with their postcard when it arrives in their mailbox. Have them text it to you and then share it with your child(ren). This allows them to see the process, full circle, and appreciate their hard work.

DIY Felt Envelopes to Teach Your Child About Mail

If you’re not ready to send mail physically, that’s okay too! You can create these super simple felt envelopes and still teach your child about mail by writing letters back and forth with immediate family members. We had so much fun writing pretend letters and leaving them for our loved ones to find.