Letter Writing for Kids: Fun Activities and Assignments

Assigning Letter-Writing Activities in Your Classroom

Letter writing may not be as common as sending e-mail, but it's still a vital communication tool. Introduce various types of letter writing so students can practice crafting professional and persuasive letters, as well as friendly correspondence. Choose themes that are relevant to your students and that reinforce other subjects, such as letters to a historical figure who you're covering in a social studies unit.

Five Activities to Teach Letter Writing

Send a Letter to a Favorite Author

Ask your students to choose their favorite living author. Show them proper letter-writing form and help them write letters to the authors. Have them talk about the authors' books in their letters and provide thought-provoking analysis. You can post authors' responses on your classroom bulletin board.

Write to a Fictional Character

This activity may appeal to kids from kindergarten through 2nd grade. Read the picture book, The Jolly Postman: Or Other People's Letters by Janet Ahlberg, to your students. This book is comprised of letters to and from fairy tale characters. After reading the book, have your students write their own letters to fairy tale characters and create a classroom version of the book.

Exchange Penpal Letters

Since communication via e-mail has become so common, you may want to encourage your students to practice letter writing in this form. Coordinate with a teacher in another state or country and set up an e-mail penpal exchange. Students can do the e-mail exchanges either in class or at home. They may appreciate learning about other kids their age and practice important writing skills.

Write for a Cause

To get your students to practice persuasive letter writing, ask them to make up a charity and write a letter from the perspective of someone working with the charity. Their letters must effectively convince the public to send in donations. You may want to bring in examples of these types of letters to show the class.

Compose a Note to Themselves

Ask your students to write a letter to the person they'll be 10-15 years from now. Encourage them to make predictions about what their lives will be like in the future and to ask questions in their letters. Consider including the letters in a time capsule of currently popular objects to be opened at a future date.

If you have a class of older students, you might also ask them to write a letter to the person they were five years ago. Prompt your students to give their younger selves advice on what to expect in school.