Send Something
Pack and address a small parcel or drawing to post to a grandparent or friend.
- Age2 to 7 years
- Time15 to 30 minutes
- EnergyCalm
- CostLow cost
- WhereIndoors
- Prep5 min
Your child picks or makes something small: a drawing, a folded note, a small found object: and you pack and address it together to post to a grandparent or friend. Physical mail to a real person is the point.
How to do it
- Decide together who you are sending to. Ask your child: "Who would love to get something from you today?" Help them land on someone specific: a grandparent, a relative, a friend who moved away.
- Let your child choose or make the thing to send: a drawing from the day, a folded piece of paper, a small photo print, a pressed leaf. The item should fit in an envelope or a small box you have at home.
- Help your child pack it. If using an envelope, they can fold the paper and slide it in. If using a small box, they can place the item and help you add padding. Let them do as much of the physical packing as they can manage.
- Write the address together: the adult writes, the child watches and you narrate: "This part is who it is going to. This part is their street." If your child can write some letters, let them add their name to the return address or sign the inside.
- Post it together if possible: drop it in a post box or hand it to the postal counter. If posting is not immediate, put it somewhere visible so the act of sending stays real.
What you need
- Item to send
- Envelope or box
- Stamp
- Pen
- Packing extras
Signs it is working
Your child chooses the recipient with some thought rather than random pointing. They handle the item they chose with care when packing it, treating it as something that matters. In the days after, they ask whether the person has received it yet
If it is not quite clicking
Child cannot decide who to send to: Offer two specific options: "Grandma or your friend from playgroup?": rather than an open question. The item they want to send is too large or fragile for posting: Name the constraint warmly: "That one is too big for the post, let us pick something that will fit in an envelope": and help them choose something else. Child wants to keep the thing they made rather than send it: Offer to make a second copy together: one to keep, one to send: so there is no loss
Make it yours
Younger (2-3y): The grown-up does most of the packing and addressing; the child's job is choosing the item and putting it in the envelope. Older (5-6y): Let them draw or write a message specifically for the recipient: "What do you want to tell Grandma?": and attempt to write their own name inside. Siblings: Each child sends something to a different person, or they collaborate on one package with two items inside.
Try this with your child.
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