Create a Post Office Play Station

In preschool, play is central to learning about the world, from how objects fall and roll to the way things like grocery stores and post offices work. Pretend play isn't just fun: it's also important for a preschooler's brain development. Want to help your child with a creative play station that's loads of fun? Set up a post office in your home!

What You Need:

• Used envelopes with addresses on them
• Blank envelopes
• Stickers
• Sheet of 1 cent stamps
• Pencils or crayons
• 2 boxes or trays big enough to accommodate mail
• Catalogs and magazines

What You Do:

1. Pretend play is all about imagination and letting your child invent his own world. However, there is some setup you can do that will help your preschooler get the hang of working at the post office.
2. Tell your child that one of the trays or boxes is the "Out" box, and should contain mail that's ready to be delivered. The other can be the "In" box, which contains mail that has not yet been sorted.
3. Members of the family can come to the post office with "letters" they need to send, and use the blank envelopes to address the letters. Your child should help by affixing stamps and stickers to the envelopes. Explain to him how stamps work, and that there are different levels of priority that you can assign to packages, etc.
4. Your child can practice sorting mail from the "In" box to the "Out" box, and even make a pretend delivery around the house.
5. Let your child's imagination take over as he plays with mail, stamps, and stickers. He'll be learning about what happens at the post office, and engaging in essential brain-building at the same time!