It's summertime and school is out! The best way to have your child practice writing is to give them a fun and cool reason to do it. Writing to a pen-pal is a great idea. Family members who don't live with you make great pen-pals. But did you know you can write to companies and ask for cool stuff?! Children LOVE to get mail with their name on it. 

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Here are some opportunities for your child to write!

FREE LETTERS, POSTCARDS, & Stuff

• Letter from Disney Character- Did you know that your children can write their favorite Disney character and they will get a letter back? Write:   

                        Walt Disney Company

                       Attn: Fan Mail Department

                       500 South Buena Vista Street, Burbank, CA 91521

• Get Postcards from Around the World – This fun program allows kids and adults to exchange postcards with others from around the world.

• Letter From the President of the United States– Children can write a letter on any topic, send it to the White House and they will receive a reply.

• Live Monarch– If you have a butterfly garden or are thinking of starting one, Live Monarch will send you a packet of 50+ Milkweed seeds. The seeds are no charge, but donations are always welcome. For each $1 you donate, they will send you a packet of 50+ seeds. Just send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the address listed on the site.

• Letters of Love - You may not get a letter back, but you could change someone's day for the better. Write a letter or decorate a card with a positive message to help someone going through a tough time.

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A writing process you may like to follow:

1. After choosing your company, discuss together what your child might write. They may say how they love using their product, or they have never used their product and would love to try it. Brainstorm what they might like to say.

2. Ask your child to write the first draft. We call this the "sloppy copy." They use their own spelling which gives them a chance to think and pull in the phonics rules they learned this school year. 

3. Ask your child to read it aloud to you. After they do, edit the letter by circling any word they misspelled. Your child can then go back and erase their word and try to remember their phonics. They may need to "tap it out," or remember "spelling options," or look up "trick words." If they ultimately don't know, you can write the correct spelling ABOVE the circled word, then the child can copy it correctly on their own.

4. Go over letter format using "Dear _______," and help them format their final copy.

Below is a link to an example of Friendly Letter Format, but you could Google more options. 

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5. Show your child where to put a stamp on the envelope and walk your child to the mailbox!  

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I can tell you from my 30 plus years of teaching that writing tools make a difference! Get some glitter gel pens, cute erasers, colored sticky notes, stickers, and small notepads, and see for yourself.