Send a Real Letter
Write to someone and actually get a reply.
2 weeks✏️ Writing🧭 Life Skills🌍 Social Studies
What you need
- paper
- an envelope
- a stamp
- someone who will write back
Nothing to buy and nothing to print — if you do not have one of these, swap it for whatever you do have.
The steps
Day 1
Choose who
Pick someone who will definitely write back. A grandparent is the safest bet.
Day 2
What to say
List three things worth telling them. Not 'how are you' — three real things.
📋 Make a list
Day 3
Write it
Write the letter using your three things. It does not have to be long.
✍️ Write a few sentences
Day 4
Address it
Write the address on the envelope. Find out why each line is there.
📷 Take a photo
Say this: “The postman reads it from the bottom up. Country, town, street, house, person.”
Day 5
Post it
Walk to the postbox and post it yourself.
📷 Take a photo
Day 10
The reply
When it arrives, read it and say what they answered.
📷 Take a photo
How to score it
You score this, not us. Pick the description that actually matches what they did.
Content
- 1. One line
- 2. Three things listed
- 3. Three things written as sentences
- 4. Three things, plus a question for the reader
Handwriting
- 1. Adult wrote it
- 2. Child wrote some
- 3. Child wrote it all
- 4. Child wrote it all and it is readable by the recipient
Addressing
- 1. Adult addressed it
- 2. Copied the address
- 3. Addressed it correctly
- 4. Addressed it and explained the order
What goes in the portfolio
A photocopy or photo of the letter sent, and the reply when it comes.