How to Make Your Child a Pen Pal
When I was in fifth grade, my family moved to the suburbs of Cincinnati from Illinois. I knew that the only way to keep in touch with any of my friends was by writing letters to them. I soon discovered that there was nothing more exciting than getting scrawled mail and all that addressed to me .
It was the realization that someone was thinking of me, that they took the time to sit down at the kitchen table or in their bedroom and tell me what they thought – what they were doing that week, a favorite memory of us, a proposal for a movie which I should watch, or the book that I should read.
This week is Universal Letter Writing Week and it seems like the perfect time to give your child a first pen pal. Not only is it fun, but it can help improve your child’s reading and writing skills, teach patience (getting a text two seconds after hitting send is not immediate gratification), and hone his social skills. According to Very Well Family :
Having a pen pal fosters many key skills, including reciprocity (a letter with all the “me” and not asking questions does not contribute to a good relationship with a pen pal!), Empathy, and mutual concern. It also fosters the ability to seek and find common bonds, which is a key element of true friendship.
But what if your child doesn’t know anyone by other zip codes? What if your child has no cousins from other cities? There are organizations that can help match your child to someone else who would like to be their pen pal.
Global Pen Pals
This Australian company wants you to get not just a pen pal, but the right pen pal. When you sign up with Global Penfriends , you will complete a detailed profile that asks for things like age, spoken language and what kind of correspondence you need, such as a candy exchange, mail buddy, or regular mail buddy.
You can choose your interests from a huge list, including animals / pets, dancing, nature, reading / writing, and horses and riding. There are even open-ended questions asking how a pen pal is spending their time, what cultural characteristics about their home country, and what type of pen pal they hope to find.
Answering all of these questions may feel like filling out a dating questionnaire, but it’s a great way to make sure that the right person is selected for your child.
The world of correspondence
If you are not interested in completing such a detailed profile, Penpal World only asks for your email address, date of birth, gender and country. In addition, there are some privacy controls: minors can block adults, and users can block entire countries.
The site has 2.3 million members and has been around since 1998. Reviews on the site range from teens to seniors. Rainey, 14, from India says:
I wrote this post just to thank you for making this wonderful site. Needless to say, I’ve made some great friends here and even found a best friend. If it weren’t for Pen Pals World, I would never have had that chance.
International Pen Pals
This group has existed since 1967 and has over 300,000 members from 192 countries. He can match your child to another child of the same age.
The application form for International Pen Friends asks for traditional identification information (name / address / age, etc.), as well as their interests and hobbies, as well as what items they would like to exchange, such as postcards, souvenirs and books.
Please note that this specific service requires a charge based on age. Participation in the program lasts one year and your child will be linked with several potential pen pals.
Facebook groups
There are also a number of private pen pals groups on Facebook to help parents find email friends for their kids. International pen pals for kids! it is one that states that its goal is to bring children from all over the world together for friendship and diversity. In two years there are only 900 participants.
The posters contain photographs and descriptions of their children, including details such as age, interests, and location. Latest posters and commentators from Zambia, Ghana, North Carolina, Maine, Washington and Texas.