Sending a Letter
Background Information & Activities

Though many children use e-mail to send messages to friends and family members, it is still important for students to learn how to write and send letters. A letter has five basic parts—the heading, greeting, body, closing, and signature. The heading contains the address and date. The greeting is where the writer addresses the recipient of the letter—“Dear Annie,” “To whom it may concern,” etc. The body contains the message; it is the main part of any letter. The closing is a way to conclude the letter. The closing is always capitalized and it always ends with a comma—“Sincerely,” “Your friend,” etc. The signature is the part of the letter where the writer signs his or her name.

There are two main kinds of letters—friendly letters and business letters. Friendly letters are written to people one knows—the tone is familiar. Business letters are formal; they often have a serious tone. In friendly letters, the recipient’s address is in the heading. In business letters, the writer’s address is in the top center or left of the page and the recipient’s address is below. Friendly letters can begin with “Dear Annie,” or “Hi Annie!” Business letters almost always start with the word “Dear” followed by the person’s name. Using Mr., Mrs., or Ms. and the last name is the standard practice. When sending a business letter to an unknown party, “Dear sir or madam,” or “To whom it may concern,” is the standard practice.

More jovial or informal closings are used with friendly letters, such as “Keep in touch,” “Your friend,” etc. For business letters, the closing should be even with the tone of the letter, such as “Sincerely,” “Regards,” etc. In business letters, the name of the writer is often written underneath the signature.

To mail a letter, the recipient’s address should be placed in the center. The return address, or address of the writer, should be in the top left corner. A stamp is placed in the top right corner. Postage, or the cost to mail a letter, varies when a letter is mailed internationally. Postcards carry less postage than letters. Postcards are small cards; one side often contains a picture, and the other side has a space for a brief message and an area for the address and stamp.

Encourage your child to write a letter to a friend or family member. Letters allow children to practice their reading and writing skills, learn a useful skill, and have fun.

Sending a Letter Teacher Activities – Click Here!

Sending a Letter Family Activities – Click Here!

Sending a Letter Teacher Activities

First Class Mail

If possible, set up a correspondence with another class in your school. First model how to write a letter and discuss its five parts. You can use the school’s address as the return address. Brainstorm ideas of what students might like to write in their letters—what did they do today? Where would they like to visit? Who would they like to meet? Make a mailbox out of a shoebox and place it outside of your classroom. Remember to make a red flag to indicate that there is mail to be picked up. “Mail carriers” can deliver mail to the other class’s mailbox.

Postcards

Have students make their own postcards. They can use posterboard or any thick paper. Have students draw a picture on one side of the card. The picture can be of a place they visited or of their school. Then have them write a short message to a friend or family member about the place they visited or about the school. Remind them to leave room for an address and a stamp. You or your students can bring in stamps to mail the postcards. Student can also hand deliver the postcard if they wish.

Business Letter

Remind students that a business letter is more formal than a friendly letter. Discuss the format of a business letter and then have students compose a business letter of their own. Students may want to write to a store or restaurant and tell them how they enjoyed their food or services or how their food or services can be improved. Then have students mail their letters. Review how to properly label an envelope together. You may want to bring in a phone book so that students can look up the addresses to their businesses.

Sending a Letter Family Activities

Address book

Together with your child, create an address book. The book can contain important numbers and addresses for family members, friends, emergency services, and businesses. Help your child write the addresses in the book, and explain each part of the address-the number, street name, city, state, and zip code.

Pen Pal

Have your child write to a pen pal. Find a family member or friend who lives in a different city, state, or country. This person can be your child’s friend who moved away or a cousin that lives in a different state. The pen pal can be an aunt, uncle, or grandparent or even an old teacher. Set up a correspondence and have your child write letters. He or she can include drawings, poems, stories, or whatever else would be fun to receive in the mail.

Complaint

Discuss with your child any complaints that he or she might have about a business, restaurant, or even the community where you live. Help your child draft a business letter describing the complaint and suggestions on how to improve it. Remember to review all the parts of the letter and be sure to explain how a business letter is formal and carries a more serious tone than a friendly letter. Mail the letter together and help your child label the envelope properly.