Putting pen to paper can be so much fun! Little kids especially love the idea of mail — probably since it’s novel and they don’t get any bills. For this matching activity or classification activity, children will match upper case and lower case letters. Show your child the illustrated instructions and have him or her lead the prep work. You’ll need to print this mail-matching-activity template to begin. Remember to use the mailbox from the DIY craft video that also goes with the Dear Mr. Blueberry book.
The idea for this activity is to encourage your child to match and classify things, which brings about concentration and is calming. The ability to successfully match the items instills a sense of confidence and pride. The repetitive nature of the activity fosters mastery, while encouraging problem-solving and memory recall; adding a mailbox to the activity, adds on a later of role play!
Here are the four steps illustrated above:
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Print the template and cut out the mock envelopes and stamps. If your child is ready, have him/her help cut the pieces.
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Have your child find the lower case letter that matches the upper case envelope; then glue (or tape or paperclip) the stamp onto the envelope.
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Talk through the letters. Consider putting the alphabet in order. Pick a few letters and show your chid how to combine them to make words or spell their name.
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Take turns playing postman and deliver the mail to your new mailbox from the DIY craft video.
Other ideas: Write real letters to friends and family, have your child place a real stamp on the envelope; discuss the anatomy of an envelope — show where the mailing address and return address go. Take a trip to a mailbox to mail your letter together, talk about collection days and times; how long it might take for your letter to reach its destination and for you to receive a response. If there’s a post office nearby, consider a trip to see what it’s like and point out any mail trucks — a customary crowd favorite!
Here are some book-based talking points:
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What was your favorite part of the book? Why?
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Do you think there really was a whale in Emily’s pond?
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What’s one fact you learned about whales?
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Did you notice that Mr. Blueberry and Emily have different signatures on their letters?
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What do you think of Mr. Blueberry’s suggestion that perhaps what Emily saw was a blue goldfish?
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Do you remember what the word migratory means? How would you explain it to someone who doesn’t know?
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Do you have a teacher that you write letters or send email to?
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Anything you want to ask me?
