Real World Writing In Our Homeschool With Mail Time Monday

There are so many benefits to real-world writing practice. When we put away the textbooks and workbook practice pages, we can find activities and projects that capture our children’s interests and provide practical application for the skills we want them to learn. Our Mail Time Monday routine has done just that for writing in our homeschool.

Through reading letters aloud, writing cards and letters to friends, pen pal exchanges, and crafting a newsletter, we’ve learned so much about writing, spelling, and grammar. Emily has gone from being a reluctant writer to a passion for writing and editing that’s amazing to watch!

Want to learn more about how we established a routine for real-world writing practice that’s interest-led? Keep reading to get the scoop on our Mail Time Monday routine, resources we love, and get a template for your family’s newsletter project!

Benefits of Real-World Writing Practice in Your Homeschool

Real-world writing practice is all about using writing tasks that mirror everyday life and activities that have practical applications. This type of practice helps homeschoolers develop writing skills that are applicable in the real world. Real-world writing practice emphasizes writing with a purpose and for a specific audience, making it more relevant and engaging.

Focusing on real-world practice in your homeschool has many incredible benefits. It’s an excellent way to engage reluctant writers with fun activities that make sense and serve a purpose. Engaging in interest-based writing projects like thank you notes and birthday cards for loved ones can keep kids invested in practicing their writing skills.

We added a “Mail Time Monday” routine to our homeschool lessons for real-world practice that’s fun and engaging. Kids love getting mail and sending mail, so it’s easy to keep them interested in writing activities that revolve around mail time. Plus, it’s a great way to practice letter writing, penmanship, spelling, and grammar with learners of all ages.

The Mail Time Monday Routine

We love our Mail Time Monday routine! I have a special mail time bin where I keep all our supplies and any subscription letters we need to read. We started our Mail Time Monday routine during kindergarten by writing thank you letters for birthday gifts.

In the beginning, I wrote simple thank you cards with messages like “Thank you for the doll.” using a highlighter. Then, Emily would trace the words I had written with a pencil or crayon. In just a few years, Emily was writing her own thank you cards and happy birthday cards for friends and family.

Slowly, I would sneak in learning by teaching her to write Dear… to start a letter and how to properly close a letter. Today, Emily writes all her own letters and even addresses the envelopes properly. We’ve also added extra learning opportunities by including our subscription letters. We read them aloud and learn about new things together in every letter.

Preschool and Kindergarten Writing Activities

Beginning a Mail Time Monday routine of your own for preschool and kindergarten learners is a low-pressure way to add handwriting practice to your homeschool day. We began when Emily was in kindergarten. I purchased simple thank you cards and wrote short messages in highlighter for Emily to trace. This type of highlighter copywork makes it easy for kids to send a message to friends and family without getting overwhelmed.

Add fun to real-world writing practice with fun tools. Preschool and kindergarten kids love writing with dot markers, glitter pens, and wiki sticks. We like to keep lots of stickers, stamps, and washi tape in our Mail Time Monday box to make sending letters even more fun.

Writing Activities for Elementary Age Learners

Once Emily was ready to write letters independently, our mail routine became even more exciting! She loves designing and writing birthday cards to send to family and friends. We also adopted pen pals.

Adopting a pen pal has tons of amazing learning benefits for kids. Writing letters to pen pals helps kids build strong communication skills by helping them understand different perspectives and practice expressing their ideas more clearly. It’s also a great way to build cultural awareness and explore geography.

You can even add social-emotional learning to a Mail Time Monday routine with journaling time. Keeping a journal or diary is a great way for kids to practice using a letter format and learn to express their emotions and thoughts healthily. Discover our favorite journaling must-haves for 2024 including everyday journal prompts.

Middle School Mailtime Monday Routine

Now that Emily is in middle school, our Mail Time Monday routine has changed some. We’ve added a newsletter! Emily’s newsletter includes articles and blurbs she writes for family and friends. It’s all about her interests, what she’s doing, and her thoughts.

The newsletter is an excellent way for kids to connect with friends and family without screens and social media. It’s a great way to encourage middle school learners to practice their writing skills and help them stay connected to friends offscreen. I set up a template for the newsletter that makes it super easy for Emily to update everyone.

Want your own newsletter template? Grab this free Mail Time Monday Newsletter Template.

Our Favorite Resources for Real-World Writing Practice

There are a few resources that make real-world writing practice easier and more fun for everyone. Our Mail Time bin makes it easy for me to keep everything organized with space for stickers, stamps, envelopes, and more.

The newsletter template makes sending a quarterly newsletter to friends and family easy too. Discover more of our favorite resources for real-world writing practice below.

Do you have a Mail Time Monday routine? How are you adding real-world writing practice to your homeschool lessons this year? I’d love to read about your favorite writing activities in the comments!