Writing letters as an alternative….

Several parents have mentioned to me recently that when there is a zoom call from friends or family that their children just walk away, not wanting to engage.

It’s interesting but when you’re on a zoom call it’s impossible to make eye contact with each other and so for a child who is trying to have a conversation with a grandparent for example they may get the feeling that they are looking away and so the connection that  would be made in real life just isn’t there.  Also, most people I know have experienced zoom fatigue, so if child is doing schoolwork online as well as making zoom calls with friends and family then maybe it’s just all too much?

So, what are the alternatives if we can’t actually be with our friends or family and we don’t want to zoom, skype or facetime?

We could talk over the phone or we could go back to old fashioned letter writing.  

There are loads of benefits to writing a letter and here are some to consider:

·     Handwriting skills– what an amazing way to get your children writing!  If they are reluctant writers, then maybe this will encourage them to do it.  They could exchange letters with grandparents or friends

·     Spelling– It can really help with spelling as they will be thinking about the words as they go along.

·     Confidence and self-esteem– If a child or teenager has an issue with writing, then positive feedback for their letters may make them feel so much better about their abilities and in turn feel more confident.

·     Concentration– It may well help slow them down as they try and concentrate on what they want to write and the information they want to share in the letters

·     Relationships and closer connections– the relationships they have with friends or family could become much closer with letter writing and for a teenager it might be a great way to talk about feelings as the connections can become deeper. With a deeper connection they may feel safer to open up.  It provides a forum for them to express their emotions and feelings in a safe way.  For children this is also true.

·     Anticipation and excitement– It’s always lovely to receive letters and so the anticipation of waiting for them to arrive and then the excitement of when they do is just fabulous!  Also, for children in particular it is exciting to address the envelope, put a stamp on and then go to the post box and send it.  They then feel excited for the other person to receive it and so it goes on

·     Sharing stories– It’s a great way for grandparents to let the children and teenagers know how life was for them at their age and share some stories about other relations in the family etc.

·     Memories– Wonderful to have a box of letters to look back on at some point in the future.