Skip to main content

It is the time of year when many children sit down to write an important letter addressed to the North Pole. Other children pen thank you notes and party invitations during this busy time of the year. Some say letter writing is a lost art, but it doesn’t have to be!

An Introduction to Letter Writing (opens in a new window) covers activities for many common types of letter writing, including formal and informal letters, thank you notes, letters of complaint, and more. For kids who prefer to work online, or need a more step-by-step approach, try Read, Write, Think’s Letter Generator. (opens in a new window) It’s set up to help kids write either a friendly letter or a business letter.

For character-related fun, the Arthur section on the PBS Kids website has a Letter Writer Helper (opens in a new window) that shows kids the various parts of a “good old-fashioned” letter, an email, a greeting card, and a postcard. Staying within that site, kids can use Letters To (opens in a new window) to help them write to Arthur, Francine, Sue Ellen, or The Brain.

If you’re wondering whether you have realistic expectations about your child’s writing, some of the links within this section (opens in a new window) on Education.com can help you understand what to expect in writing by age and grade.

Whatever the reason for writing, hopefully these resources will help.

About the Author

Joanne Meier has more than 20 years of experience in the field of education, including serving on the faculty at the University of Virginia for six years where she trained reading specialists and future classroom teachers. Dr. Meier was Reading Rockets’ research-to-practice consultant from 2002 to 2014, where she wrote the Page by Page (opens in a new window) blog — sharing best practices in supporting young readers at home and in the classroom.

Publication Date
November 24, 2009

Related Topics

Activities, Writing
Top