Writing a Real Letter
Writing to someone who will write back: writing finally serves a purpose.
Writing a Real Letter is a Montessori activity for a child aged 4 to 6 years. Area: Language. Time: 20-30 min.
What the activity builds
Write to be read by a real person. As long as writing stays an exercise, it demands effort with nothing in return. A letter that goes into a mailbox and comes back as a reply gives the handwriting its reason for being, and that reason is what carries your child through the hard parts.
The materials
- A sheet of paper, an envelope, a stamp
- Their movable letters or alphabet within reach, for finding the sounds
- The address of a grandparent, a cousin, someone who will really write back
How to do it, step by step
- Ask your child who they want to write to and what they want to say.
- They write as best they can, searching out the sounds, with no model to copy.
- They slide the sheet into the envelope and seal it themselves.
- Write the address where they can see you do it, they stick the stamp in the corner.
- They carry the envelope to the mailbox and drop it in with their own hand.
The parent's role
Don't correct any spelling, during or after. "I luv yoo" reads just fine and will be understood by the grandparent, who is the only recipient that matters. A letter cleaned up by an adult stops being theirs, and they won't ask to write another. The reply that comes back is worth more than any praise. Show once, then step back.
Safety
The address is written by the adult, and letters only go to people the family knows. Never share personal details beyond a first name.
You remain the sole judge of what is right for your child. These activities are offered for educational and recreational purposes: they do not replace medical advice or the guidance of an early childhood professional.
Ways to adapt the activity
- Easier: dictating the words to the adult and signing their own name.
- Harder: also writing the address, copying from a model.
- Next step: keeping up a regular correspondence, one letter a month.
Up next
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