Pen Pal Letters

by Jennifer Cooper, posted on June 4th, 2012 in Arts & Crafts, Kids DIY

Sure, living in the age of technology has its perks. Skype was a total family lifesaver last month, when Dave was traveling around the world.* The kids got to talk to him before they headed off to school in the morning.

But there’s nothing like a good old fashion letter in the mail to brighten your day. It’s especially nice when it’s a letter from a friend. Through the power of modern technology, my kids have acquired pen pals from Europe. Which, is ironic, isn’t it? The internet has delivered old fashioned paper + pen pen pals. This is a crazy time we’re living in friends.

Sunday morning, we raided our paper supplies and the kids spent more than an hour, no joke—more than an HOUR!, happily writing and crafting their little hearts out for their pen pals. Considering how much cajoling, pleading and whining (all from me) it takes to get my son to write 5 sentences for homework each week, this was nothing short of a miracle.

I drew a template for an envelope, traced it onto some card stock we had laying around. I ended up making a whole stack of them for the kids. I’m hoping to turn them into little letter writing machines.

Add a few dabs of glue, some brightly colored tape and we got ourselves genuine, hand-crafted envelopes. Nice!

Next, the letters!

Then came letter decorating. More tape? Why not.

It’s ready to mail!

Isn’t that tape cool? It’s part of the Kid Made Modern collection at Target. Swoon!

Did you ever have a pen pal growing up? I didn’t. Cue sad song and pouty face. I know, aww, poor Jen. I think it’s an incredible way to get kids writing and communicating with their peers. And it’s quite thrilling too, isn’t it? Getting to know someone from a different part of the country or world than you? I might just need to get a pen pal myself.

*Want to see the result of all that traveling Dave did? Click here to watch his video.

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Comments

12 Responses to “Pen Pal Letters”

Deborah Says:
June 4th, 2012 at 11:52 am

Love the envelope tutorial, must try that with the kids. I’ve been seeing a lot of this Kids Made Modern on the internet, I can’t wait to head to Target to check out in person!

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Jennifer Cooper Reply:
June 4th, 2012 at 12:01 pm
It’s so cool! I think you and the kids will love it. And it was fairly inexpensive too. I think I paid $7 for all that tape? Which is good considering how much Jonah used for his letter. Ha!

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Sandra Says:
June 4th, 2012 at 12:48 pm

I did have a pen pal when I was a kid but unfortunately lost touch. She lived in the Northwest Territories (northern Canada – think polar bears, etc.).

Lovely idea! And my next US visit WILL include a stop at Target for some Kids Made Modern supplies…

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Jillian in Italy Says:
June 4th, 2012 at 3:29 pm

Oh yeah! Those letters look so neat. The first thing my kids do when they get home from school is run to the mailbox. This whole penpal thing has really inspired them!

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Melanie Says:
June 6th, 2012 at 1:46 am

These envelopes are cool! I’ll have to try it sometime. Also, email me your address. :)

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Jennifer Cooper Reply:
June 6th, 2012 at 7:15 pm
Thanks Melanie. Will do.

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BP Says:
June 6th, 2012 at 4:33 am

Letter writing is the best. Getting your kids to 1. practice penmanship 2. work on grammar 3. delve into geography and social studies and 4. of course be artistic and creative in one activity is quite efficient =)

As a child I had a penpal in England and one in Austria. I wish I could still find those letters now. I still try to spice it up via snail mail with my gal pals every so often. It’s just good fun to do. And I’ll use any excuse to go to Paper Source.

[Reply]
Jennifer Cooper Reply:
June 6th, 2012 at 7:14 pm
Hey Bobbie! It’s so nice to get a handwritten letter in the mail isn’t it? So much nicer than bills. ha! It’s cool that you kick it snail mail style with your friends. Love it!

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Kate Says:
June 8th, 2012 at 8:36 am

I love the handmade envelopes. I did technically have a penpal but she rarely replied to my long fervent letters .. perhaps because they were so long and fervent. hmm. I’ve been thinking about finding a pen pal for my 7 year old son and you’ve spurred me into action :)

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Christen Says:
January 20th, 2013 at 10:44 pm

Just found your site and I love it! How did u pick or pals? Security wise these days it makes me a little nervous. I had one growing up and Loved it! I have a 10 year old daughter that would love it too!

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Jennifer Cooper Reply:
February 4th, 2013 at 2:27 pm
Hi Christen,

Sorry for my delay in response! We have two sets of penpals. I met the moms of both sets through the internet. I know it sounds weird, but one was through a mom message board years ago and the other was through a comment here. They were both English speaking (one American, one Canadian) and were married to Belgians.

I would ask friends if they know anyone with kids in another country that your kids could write to. You’d be surprised at how global we all are now. It’s a small world!

Good luck!

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Charlene Eagen Says:
March 24th, 2013 at 5:49 pm

I still write to my 3rd grade pen pal (I’m 34). When I realized my 6 year old was having a hard time writing, I asked her 11 year old daughter how she would feel about being his pen pal. It was a great idea, not only does he get practice writing but we have mommy-son time.

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