So the older two girls decided to get pen pals. I admit I dropped hints and encouraged it because they NEED writing practice. hand writing, typing, formatting, content, editing… they need to work more on all of it. And essays and research papers while required in their lessons do NOT get them remotely excited or hold their attention well. I am also trying to further limit time on electronic devices and crafting also holds their attention fairly well.

So as we delved into the world of pen pals, which is more of a world than many may realize, we are adding card crafting into the mix. This is allowing them a creative outlet at the same time as a place to practice their writing skills. We have certainly had to rewrite letters several times before the final copy is ready. I have no idea how long its going to take to get it in their heads to group their thoughts into proper paragraphs and not jumble them around the page. But they are both formatting correctly now at least.

Here are examples of their first card letters. Not bad for first tries and I believe the card making portion of the skill will also improve as they go.

If your little ones are interested in snail mailing you should search Facebook groups for some of the penpal groups. We found homeschool specific ones, international ones and some geared specifically at certain ages or interests. There are a lot of groups for women who enjoy writing one another as well. I may take it up eventually but lord knows I have no spare time currently in which to fit that in.

If you hit up pinterest you can search pen pal ideas and get a lot of fun options. Mail art is another good search for hand drawn imagery on the envelopes. The girls opted to do a decent amount of hand drawn art. GOOD LUCK !