Post Office Invitation
A post office is a fun theme that can be used to enrich other themes such as a holiday, or after a Birthday when your child is writing thank you cards. Post office play also can easily branch into subjects like Math, Geography and Environmental Studies.
Here is a list of props that you may like to include in your child’s post office:
- Mailbox: Make your own from a cardboard box or purchase a mini metal mailbox from a craft store, dollar store or online.
- Envelopes, writing paper, cards, postcards: make your own cards or print these free envelope, writing paper and draw your own postcard templates.
- Stamps, mailing labels, air mail sticker: can be found at your post office
- Address book, phone book, map/globe/atlas: the tools that we use to locate the person we are mailing a letter to
- Child size mail bag or uniform: don’t forget a name tag!
- Mail sorter
- Post Office signs: Open, Closed, Mail here, Postage Costs, etc. Great for writing practice!
- Coins, cash register: ring in the math practice!
- Scale, tape measure: introduce measuring skills
- Clocks: post offices often have clocks set to times all over the world – label the location on a sign below each clock
- Pens, notepads, “cancellation” rubber stamp, ink: kids love to stamp the envelopes to “cancel” the stamps
Ways to support learning:
- Teach your child his/her address
- Make your own stamps by cutting small drawings with fancy edge scissors or by using this stamp punch.
- Weigh and measure packages
- Reduce junk mail by looking into a no junk mail program in your country
- Start a stamp collection
- Visit your local post office or your country’s postal system website
- Share old postcards from your travels with your child and look up the location on the map
- Discuss the pros and cons of electronic mail verses paper mail
Books to read with your little ones:
- Owney the mail pouch pooch – Mona Kerby
- Here Comes the Mail – Gloria Skurzynski
