Play - Priority Mail - Guidelines for the Activities

The write start - Jennifer Hallissy 2010

Play - Priority Mail
Guidelines for the Activities

Play is the work of kids. Don’t let all of that fun fool you. Some serious skill building, learning, and, yes, hard work goes on while children are at play. And do you want to know what’s the best part about it? Playful activities are so irresistible, kids don’t even know they’re educational. (Come to think about it, let’s keep that part a secret, just between us.)

It’s perfectly okay to let them think it’s all fun and games. We know better. We know that some surreptitious setup on our part can go a long way toward making playtime a little more purposeful. We can capitalize on the fact that our kids are at their creative best while at play, by slipping some writing props in among their toys, and suggesting some bright ideas for adding some writing to the playful mix. As a starting point, check out the next group of activities, which feature the perfect blend of function and fun.

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Priority Mail

PEOPLE ARE CONSTANTLY COMPLAINING about how the price of stamps keeps going up. Me, I don’t mind. Call me a throwback, but I have a great deal of appreciation for the USPS. Slip an envelope into a mailbox, and it gets hand-delivered to anyone, anywhere, in the whole country, in mere days. For less than a couple of quarters. Sounds like a bargain to me.

Kids share a similar respect for all things postal. They see a bit of magic when a letter disappears in a mailbox and is received by a faraway friend or relation. And when a response shows up on their own doorstep days later, well, that certainly gets their stamp of approval.

Encourage your kids to have fun with postal pretend play, to pique their interest in future letter writing (which we will discuss in more detail later on). For now, let them be in charge of delivering the goods, whatever they may be. Remember, when you’re a kid there’s no such thing as junk mail, and every delivery is special.

MATERIALS

empty postal boxes (or shoeboxes)

scissors

junk mail

paper

pencils

postcards

envelopes

stamps or stickers

stampers and ink pad

postal forms and stickers

blank labels

over-the-shoulder bag

mail carrier dress-up clothes (optional)

HOW-TO

1. Help your kids set up their own personal post office.

2. Turn empty boxes into mailboxes by cutting a narrow opening to slip in letters. You can make one mailbox for each family member, if you choose.

3. Encourage your kids to write some letters. Then they can address, stuff, seal, and stamp the envelopes; use stamps to “postmark” the mail; and fill out postal forms.

4. Kids can play letter carrier by filling up their mailbag and then delivering letters to the right mailbox.

Variations

For Scribblers: You can make some name and address labels for pre-writers to affix to their envelopes. Then they can scribble, stuff, stick, seal, and stamp to their heart’s delight.

For Spellers: Let emerging writers play with some large-sized manila envelopes, so they have more space to write the names they know.

For Storytellers: Storytellers can practice folding letters neatly, slipping them in envelopes, sealing them up, and “addressing” them to real or imaginary friends. They may also want to add words and phrases such as, “Special Delivery,” “Fragile,” “This End Up,” “Confidential,” “Urgent,” or “Return to Sender.”

For Scholars: Make a small address book or card file with the names and addresses of Scholars’ friends and family. Then teach them the proper positioning of all the information on an envelope. They’ll take it from there.