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3 Keys to Making Letters to Grandchildren More Fun

​Including 40 ideas for things to mail to your grandchildren!

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I consider myself incredibly fortunate to be a grandparent in the digital age. Don’t you? The tools we have for building relationships with our grandchildren are so far beyond what our parents had! Instantly shareable pictures, video chat, texting—they all add so much to our interactions with our grandkids, especially for long-distance grandparents. But even if you live in the same town as your grandchildren, you’ll want to keep this post bookmarked. It’s full of ways to make the simple act of sending a letter into something that will make your grandchild feel special.

There are three keys to making letters to grandchildren more fun, and none of them involve writing skill! You just need to think about the outside, the inside, and the surprise. What you write is almost unimportant if you use these three things to tailor your letter to your grandchild.

KEY #1: THE OUTSIDE
Never underestimate the power of an exciting looking envelope. Use a bright color, or decorate a white envelope with a sticker or two. Get some fun stamps: I send letters to my grandkids with Sesame Street postage stamps I got at USPS.com. The UK Royal Mail site has stamps with Marvel characters among others that would appeal to children. Canada’s pickings are slimmer, but stamps change regularly, so keep checking!

KEY #2: THE INSIDE
Get some stationery that ties into an interest of your grandchild. Notecards can be found with all sorts of images. Does your granddaughter love dinosaurs? Get some dinosaur cards to send her notes on. Is your grandson going through a building phase? Print pictures of construction equipment and write on the backs. Amazon has all sorts of fun options. I’ve collected a couple of my favorites and are showing them below—just click on any image to learn more. I’m a fan of the Sanrio stationery sets, which have several characters with wide appeal. 

Fun stationery for letters to grandchildren from Amazon

KEY #3: THE SURPRISE
Not every letter to your grandchild needs to have a surprise inside, but there are so many fun things to send grandkids in the mail that it’s a shame not to include one! This doesn’t need to cost any money; many of the ideas to mail to grandchildren are things you can make or gather yourself.

Scroll down for a list of 40 things that will fit in a regular envelope. Click on any photo or green link to shop now on Amazon.

40 Ideas for Things to Mail to Your Grandchildren

  1. Band aids

  2. Book plates

  3. Bookmarks

  4. Canceled stamps

  5. Cartoons

  6. Confetti

  7. Coupons

  8. Crosswords

  9. Die cut images

  10. Envelopes

  11. Fake mustache

  12. Flash cards

  13. Fortune from fortune cookie

  14. Friendship bracelet

  15. Glow in the dark stars

  16. Googly eyes

  17. Hair ribbons

  18. Inspirational quotes

  19. Joke cards

  20. Labels

  21. Magazine articles

  22. Maps

  23. Message written in invisible ink

  24. Mini flags

  25. Note cards

  26. Origami insects

  27. Paper crowns

  28. Paper dolls

  29. Photos

  30. Play money

  31. Poem

  32. Pressed flowers or leaves

  33. Recipes

  34. Seed packet

  35. Small notebook

  36. Stencils

  37. Stickers

  38. Sticky notes

  39. Temporary tattoos

  40. Washi paper​

What else can you think of?

Now that you’ve gathered your letter-writing tools, you do need to write something on your notecard or pretty paper. For a year’s worth of answers to the question “What should I write to my grandchild?”, order our Grandparent Love Letters! Sending mail is an easy part of building a strong relationship between grandchildren and grandparents. Get started now!