Tag: mail

Mailbox Pretend Play

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Mailbox Pretend Play (6)

Veronika is very into Blue’s Clues right now, and her favorite part of each episode is when Mailbox arrives bearing a letter for “mail time”. So today I set her up with her own post office!

To make each “mailbox”, simply fold a piece of construction paper over itself so the bottom half comes about 3/4 of the way up the top half. Staple shut along the sides, leaving the top open to form a pocket for mail deliveries.

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I made one mailbox for each family member (including the cat!) and then taped them up to the wall.

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To make our mail, I gave her an assortment of index cards, old envelopes, and leftover holiday cards. She loved scribbling, but was even more excited when I started drawing a few of the Blue’s Clues characters on envelopes so she could receive mail from them.

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I would hand her each letter and she proudly decided which “mailbox” to slot it into. “Let’s put this one in the purple!” she might say, and narrated the whole process.

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She was so excited pulling letters back out and seeing what she got in the mall!

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This was such easy but fantastic pretend play for a two-year-old. Does your toddler like to play mail delivery? Please share in the comments!

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Junk Mailman

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Junk Mailman (1)

If you ever feel like you can’t open the bills or get through the mail with a toddler in the house, this game is for you!

For a few days running, I set aside the junk mail that arrived and kept a collection in a paper bag. When I needed to sit down and peruse the items that mattered, I presented Veronika with this bag.

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She thought she’d hit the jackpot! There was paper to rip…

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…and envelopes to open. This last part is still tricky for her, but if I start a corner, she proudly pulls the document the rest of the way out.

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Inevitably there are lots of pictures and pages to flip through, especially if you save up catalogs.

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At one point, she needed a pen just like mommy and I could tell she felt very important!

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The game was such a hit that I’m going to make it a regular occurrence around here.

Make a Mailbox

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Make Mailbox (7)

Kids just love the mail and playing mailbox, and this is true even before they fully understand what the pretend play is all about! So today I made Veronika her first mailbox, simply by cutting a slit in an old shoebox.

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We had fun decorating it together; while Veronika proudly scribbled in purple, I added “U.S. Mail” across the top and some red and blue coloration.

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It was time to send the mail! Use old envelopes or stationary or even playing cards for your “letters”. I showed her how to put them in the slot…

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…and then reach in to take them out again. She got the hang of it right away.

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Add to the pretend play by addressing a note or two to your baby. You can then pretend to “read” the mail together.

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For proof that games like this never grow old, big brother Travis needed to horn in on the action.

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Soon he was practicing his handwriting as he addressed letters, mailing them through the slot, and opening them back up again.

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It kept both of them entertained for ages!

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You can finish the fun with a trip to a real post office, or even just a stop to watch a mail carrier at work, delivering letters from the truck.

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Cardboard Postcard

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Cardboard Post (6)

For kids interested in stamps and letters, this project is fantastic. Not only do they get to make a unique creation, but you can really mail it!

For sturdy backing, we made our postcards on cardboard, which I simply trimmed from a package that had arrived earlier in the week. Travis decorated with a “message” – he loves pretending to write words these days!

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I made sure to leave room on the side for lines and the address of our recipient.

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Turn the card over and decorate – we used glue and cut up pieces of tissue paper.

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If you like, use a paintbrush to deal your design with an additional layer of glue; this gives your creation a better chance of making it through the mail intact… though I confess we skipped this step!

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Once the glue dried, we were off to the post office! I think we made the clerk’s day when we showed her what we wanted to mail. Now your lucky recipient will receive a surprise in the mail!

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