Penpals
This year I have become more active in local and nonlocal homeschooling groups. I have found an amazing community of other homeschool families. It had welcoming arms and we are all on the same pages. Well, there is one amazing group that I have found where we have exchanged penpals. Yes, my kids have penpals. Yes, they handwrite their letters to their penpals! So far it has been a great experience for my kids. They get excited to check the mail and to put their letters in the mailbox. Here are 5 benefits for kids having a penpal.
Writing practice/Reading
Writing a penpal lets the kids work on their handwriting skills. Teaches the kids how to build thoughts and put them on paper to share with their friends. They can see when to use correct capitalization along with grammar and punctuation. Also helps with learning to write neatly so others are able to read their letters. Helps build their reading skills encourages them to read their penpal’s letters.
Socializing/Bond
The kids actually get to socialize and build a relationship with a friend afar. They also have local socialization but learning how to build a relationship through writing is a wonderful skill to have. Especially with the tech era, we are in now. Learning that the kids they write have the same interest and understanding compassion.
Curiosity
My children have penpals in different states and one is outside the United States. It has promoted different questions and wanting to know where their penpals live. This leads to lessons on different states or even different countries. It is so much fun to see the curious gears turn in my children’s head with all the questions that pertain to different areas and events that have occurred where their penpals live.
Encourage traveling
My son’s penpal recently wrote him about his trip to Germany! He got to see a little bit of what Germany had to offer through pictures and descriptive writing. Now they want to visit Germany and travel to other places around the world. I love seeing them excited about travelling and experiencing new places.
Creativity
It is so much fun seeing what my kids come up with in their letters. They really enjoy drawing pictures for their penpals. I enjoy watching their creative side come out in their drawings. On one of my daughter’s letters, she drew her penpal on the envelope then added a donut sticker in her hand. It was the cutest thing and pretty funny.
Having a penpal is such an awesome experience not only for the kids but for the parents as well. I hope this encourages you to play with the idea of having a penpal.
This is brilliant. I had penfriends when I was a kid. It was a great experience.
I had an Irish penal as a kid, and yes, it was pretty cool! It definitely sparked curiosity and a desire to travel, and I’m sure it helped my writing and processing!
That is awesome!! What a neat experience.
oh wow this is good, I grew up in Africa and I had penpals all around the world we used to talk about all the interesting places and cultures in our home country I felt like I was visiting each of my penpals country with each letter I got.
Thank you! I am glad my kids get to write penpals. I hope they can meet more from other countries! It’s such an neat experience.
These are such great points! Will definitely keep these in mind when my kids are a bit older!
Belle | One Awesome Momma
such a good idea!! I never even thought about the simple fact that it gets them writing more, thus improving their hand writing. Not to mention all of the other great social benefits!
I didn’t think about it when we first started. It has been a learning experience for us as well.
Penpals are great! My little guy has a senior citizen penpal in school! He loves it!
That is awesome!! It is such a neat experience.
You’re absolutely right! Pen pals are such a great experience for kids. I had a German pen pal when I was in grade school, and we would practice writing in each other’s languages. Such a great opportunity!
I had them growing up and wondered if it was still a thing!
I had a pen pal when I was younger; we met on holiday while I was in a California and we were 8 we wrote to each other until about 16 when we lost touch. I used to really look forward to receiving the letters. It’s such a lovely thing to have x
It truly is an awesome experience. I love seeing them connect with their penpals on a different level. That is really awesome that you were able to meet up with your penpal!
I loved having penpals and hope my boys can experience that as well at some point in the future.
It is so much fun to have one. That would be awesome if you find penpals for you boys! I hope you can.
I loved having a penpal as a kid and these are such great points. I want one now again as an adult 🙂
Having one as an adult would be fun. I was writing one of the moms until life got a little hectic.
Lovely idea! We have a sponsored child so maybe we should do this with our 4 year old. Obviously stickers to start with!
My 4 year old tells me what to write and I write the letter for him. Then he scribbles and adds the stickers. I bet they would love it.