Pen Pal Fun! Personalize Your Pictures!

While we were on vacation, we took a few pictures to include in a package to R's pen pal. I thought it would be really cute to take pictures of him holding a sign that said "Hey Brooklyn!" Not only did R love the idea, but I heard that his new friend loved it too! It was simple and it made the pictures more personal. Plus, I think kids get a kick out of seeing their name. I know R does.

I let R pick out where he wanted the pictures to be taken. He wanted them near the pool and in front of the ocean, his two favorite spots. It was really adorable. Before we took the pictures, he asked me to spike his hair up so he would look "cool." I have no idea where he got that from and it's not something he tends to ask for. It made me giggle and I obliged. And apparently Brooklyn noticed!

You could also use this idea with family, both near and far. You could write a special message from the child and mail it via snail mail, or even email. You could post it on their Facebook wall! There are so many variations.

How could you implement this idea?

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R's Pen Pal Kit

I've been meaning to blog about this for quite some time because its so incredibly exciting to me R. He received his pen pal kit and loved every bit of it. So did I! I'm even a bit jealous. It was so creative! Obviously, our children are young and need help with this pen pal thing, so us moms get to play too. His pen pal, Brooklyn's, mom is an amazingly creative woman! I have found several wonderful ideas on her blog and I can only wish I would have thought of the cute and clever bits she put into his kit.

Brooklyn did an amazing job decorating his box for him. The candy tags are oh so clever, and I fell in love with the personalized stationary that she made for him. Its adorable and I wish I would have thought of that a long time ago! They decorated a notebook for him and included his first ever mechanical pencils. Those alone kept him entertained for quite some time. They also sent him a bookmark set that he could color, a bunch of stickers, a horse pen, and lots of little treats. He asks me to read her letters often, and he loves the artwork that she sends him. I hope that they can be friends for a long time!

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R Has A Pen Pal!

We were lucky enough to find a pen pal for R after seeing this wonderful blog post about a pen pal kit. What a fantastic idea! He now has a friend that lives all the way across the country! He's really excited about sending her letters and gifts. I'm not even sure if its really sank in that he will be getting letters in reply. He keeps asking if I think she likes random things. His first letter had questions like, "do you like turtles?" and "do you like leaves?" I spoke with him about how we should write letters. We talked about different greetings and such. Then I wrote as he dictated and he added his signature to the end.

This was the first package we sent. It included his letter, a picture, and a picture he colored just for her. It also included the pencil box, which he decorated, and a few things to go with it. We sent a stamp kit, pencils, a pencil sharpener, stickers, decorative paper, a coloring book and crayons, a little journal, a candy necklace kit, and some sewing themed erasers. The erasers were my favorite! They are adorable. We also wrapped a few of the things in pretty, girly tissue paper before we put it in the box to be mailed. I cheated slightly though, and asked her mom what kinds of things she liked. Even though the pen pal process would have eventually told us more about what she likes, I wanted us to send her things she would love. We are awaiting R's first letter, but have heard that our box was a hit!

Not only is this really exciting for me R, it is also educational. So far we have learned about composing letters, choosing gifts based on the other person's interests, mailing a package, and a little about geography. He is also being exposed to language in a new way. And I am very excited about future fun and learning experiences.

Do your children have pen pals? Did you have a pen pal when you were a child?

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