Handwritten letters are both practical and magical. The student who knows how to handwrite letters learns better communication skills, develops the fine motor skills associated with handwriting, and enhances their connection with the letter recipient. They also learn to appreciate the subtle magic of mailing an old-fashioned letter and, when they’re lucky, the joy of receiving one.
The Magic of Letters
I’ve always thought the mail service was pretty magical, even by today’s standards. Maybe I shouldn’t be that impressed – I can order any number of items on Amazon and get them tomorrow. But I’m not overly awestruck by the efficiency and speed of big businesses. What I find incredible is that I can stick a letter in my mailbox, put the flag up, and in three days or so my letter will reach my aunt in Maine or my brother in Hawaii.
Writing thank-you’s was part of my childhood. I vividly remember the letdowns after Christmas and my birthday, magnified because I also faced the task of writing letters. I’ve nobly passed this expectation on to my children. While they weren’t especially thrilled to continue this tradition, it’s become routine. Through those thank-you’s and occasional letters during our homeschool year, they’ve become very good letter writers and perhaps gained a small appreciation for the magic as well.
Letter Writing Practical Skills
A thank-you letter from my children might still only be two to three sentences long. However, when inspired, they can now write a long well-composed letter full of interesting anecdotes. It’s not because we’ve focused on crafting the perfect letter. It’s more that we’ve written letters consistently over the years.
I don’t know if they’ll continue to write many letters as adults. But I do know that their letter writing skills have translated into better emails (formal and informal) and better communication across all formats, from creative writing assignments to research papers.
A Letter Writing Legacy
My mother is a dedicated letter writer. When I was young, we lived in Michigan with most of our relatives on the East Coast. She’s written letters faithfully to them over the years, her list changing with deaths, marriages, new grandchildren, and new friends. Her letters now go to the east and west coasts, several states in-between, and Hawaii.
My favorite letter writing story (and a poignant one) about my mom is this… In the late 1950s, she was living in student housing at the University of Illinois. She became close friends with her neighbor Mary. When my mom moved to Florida and Mary settled in St. Louis, they continued their friendship through letters. The last time they saw each other was 1959. But they were ‘there’ for each other with news about their lives, their families, their heartaches and their hopes. They would congratulate and commiserate with each other for the next six decades – all through handwritten correspondence – until Mary passed away last year.
Letter Writing Now
Today, we don’t have to make the effort that my mom and Mary did. We are able to instantly post to all of our ‘friends’ and keep them up to date on our lives… or at least what we want a large gathering of people to see of our lives. There’s no mistaking the value of keeping these connections so easily. But a letter is written with one audience member in mind, reveals much more of your true self, and establishes a deeper connection.
The power of a handwritten letter is greater than ever. It’s personal and deliberate and means more than an e-mail or text ever will. It has a unique scent. It requires deciphering. But, most important, it’s flawed. Ashton Kucher
It’s valuable for children to understand the connections forged through handwritten letters. It’s important for them to grasp the practical and magical art of writing letters. It’s true that handwritten letters may never make a huge comeback. However, they might lead to yet another meaningful and deeply personal form of communication in the future.
More on Letter Writing
The subject of letter writing opens up a vast number of related topics for exploration with your students. Here are just a few ideas…
- The history of letter writing (thought to have originated with a message from a Persian Queen around 500 BC).
- The various letter delivery systems used throughout the world over time (e.g. Pony Express).
- Letter censorship (e.g. communication during wartime).
- Art Projects (e.g. making pop up cards).
- Stamp designs and stamp collecting.
- Building a new mailbox. Note: Ours is super boring and therefore not pictured in this post.
Okay, this has inspired me to consider a unit study on letter writing. How about you?
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