Mailing a Holiday Card Lesson Plan

What We Are Learning

post office/community workers

holiday card, mail, envelope, mailbox, mail carrier, post office, sorted, address

group discussion, critical thinking, vocabulary, fine-motor skills

In No Mail for Mitchell by Catherine Siracusa, mailman Mitchell takes his job very seriously. There is just one problem—Mitchell never receives any mail himself! As you read, ask children to share whether they’ve received a letter in the mail and how it made them feel.

Materials: shoebox or large cardboard box, paper, writing utensils, paint and other art materials, envelopes, rubber stamps and ink

Spread holiday joy with this community-building activity!
Begin by creating a classroom mailbox using a shoe box or other box large enough for folded letters and envelopes. Children can decorate it too!
Once the mailbox is ready, tell children that they will “mail” holiday letters to each other.
Assign each student a secret mail buddy to ensure that each student receives a letter. Tell students that they can write letters to anyone in the class, but they must write at least one letter to their secret buddy.
Set out materials, including writing utensils, paper, and envelopes. During free time, encourage students to write letters. When students are done, they should put their letter in an envelope and write the recipient’s name on it. They can even put a “stamp” in the corner of the envelope with a rubber stamp and ink or by drawing their own.
At the end of the week, deliver the mail to each student. Ask them to share how it feels to receive mail. fine-motor skills/community-building

Materials: Mail Myself to You skill sheet, art materials (i.e., scrap paper, glue sticks, markers, crayons), large envelopes, stamps

Create a unique holiday keepsake for children to share with their loved ones.
Give each child a copy of the Mail Myself to You skill sheet. Read the poem aloud. Have children decorate “themselves” using scrap paper, glue, markers, and crayons.
Once children are done, have everyone gather to show off their work. Ask each child to tell about the choices they made in their artwork and who they will send “themselves” to.
Put each child’s work in an envelope (9”x12” envelopes work best to avoid folding), and address the envelopes. (If needed, ask each child’s grown-up for the appropriate address.) Put at least two stamps on each envelope to ensure it gets to its destination!
Then send the artwork out in the mail! If you’re able to, go on a class walk to the mailbox or post office, and have children put their envelopes in the mail themselves. fine-motor skills