Start a Personal Post Office

Help your child learn more about the postal system by turning an old box into a mailbox! All you need are some old envelopes and sheets of paper, and your child can mail lots and lots of letters, as well as hone his writing skills!

What You Need:

• Small box
• Blue paint
• Scissors
• Envelopes
• Star stickers
• Pencils
• Scrap paper

What You Do:

1. Start by taking a trip to your local post office or looking at postal boxes via the Internet with your child. The postal service has been delivering mail since 1775! Sending and receiving mail is a wonderful experience for people of all ages.
2. Invite your child to paint his box with blue tempera paint, covering all the areas so it looks just like a real post office box!
3. Help your child cut an opening for his letters at the top of the box. Now he can get ready to write some letters!
4. Help your child write a formal letter, address and all. A basic letter has elements such as a heading, a greeting. the body and the closing. Make sure he properly addresses the envelope with an address, city, state, and ZIP code, plus a return address if he wishes. Once you're all done, use a sticker for a stamp!
5. Now he can put his letter in his new post office box and continue to practice by writing and "sending" more letters to friends and family. Who knows...maybe he'll get a response back!