Happy #ThrowbackThursday! Did you know it's Thank a Mailman Day? Our postal workers deserve a lot of gratitude for all the hard work they do, 6 days each week for the whole year - come snow, rain, heat, or
gloom of night! Show your appreciation to your postal worker by leaving them a gift card in the mailbox, or handing them cash or cookies. A little thanks goes a long way! Once you've done that, you can help them keep their job by starting a pen pal tradition in your family! ;)
Click through to read 7 ways pen pals can help kids!
1. Encourage creativity.
Writing letters may not be the most artistic thing you could do, but communicating with people from other backgrounds definitely requires creative skills. If you have younger children, they might prefer to "write" mostly with drawings, but even older kids (and adults!) may get creative with their penmanship, style of writing, colors, or even doodles in their letters, too.
2. Broaden cultural perspectives.
Having a pen pal is an easy, fun way to learn about other cultures and countries. Encourage your kids to ask their pen pals questions about how they spend their day and what they like to do in their free time.
3. Improve writing and reading comprehension skills.
Not only does letter-writing give kids' eyes a break from screen time, but it also gives children a chance to build fine motor skills by physically writing instead of typing. Plus, they'll have to proofread their own writing!
4. Practice patience.
With kids these days growing up inundated with ads and other media, it's a breath of fresh air to take the time to sit down and hand-write a letter. Since snail mail is the opposite of instant gratification, they'll learn to wait for the good things in life.
5. Build lifelong relationships.
Just like friends, some pen pals last a lifetime! You never know when your child could meet the best friend that helps them grow into an even more well-rounded, compassionate young person.
6. Increase empathy.
At certain ages, kids (especially preteens) can be notoriously self-centered, so any opportunity to boost their empathy skills is welcome. By learning about other kids' lives, your child can build a greater sense of connection to others' joys and struggles.
7. Have fun!
Even though we're more used to the "ding" of email hitting the inbox, there's something about opening the mailbox to a crisp envelope, covered in stamps. Opening and reading letters is exciting! It might take a little convincing at first to get kids on board, but before long they'll be checking the mail without being asked!
Need some help getting started? Click
here to visit Student Letter Exchange for tons of great resources and assistance in finding pen pals for your kids!
Did you have any pen pals as a child? Share your experiences with us on social media @catchyfreebies using the #ThrowbackThursday hashtag!
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