How to Write a Letter & Address (Properly!) - Parent Vault: Educational Resources, Lesson Plans & Virtual Classes

The art of letter writing has taken a backseat to emails and text messages, but it is a critically important skill for our kids to learn and practice! Children need to learn how to write a letter and address the envelope (properly!) before they become adults. So when I was thinking about life skills for our “Back to Basics” camp this week, I knew I had to include how to address an envelope! To make this activity extra fun, our kids will make their own DIY envelopes (using this easy template.) Alternatively, you can use this super popular kids stationary kit! To motivate our kids even further, we will use this awesome list of fun places for children to write to (like Disney characters, the President, the Queen, Santa and tons more!)

How to Write a Letter & Address an Envelope

“Back to Basics” Camp for Kids

Wow! Can you believe that it is already week six of our virtual camps? We have done all of the following camp activities already!

This week’s virtual camp theme is “Back to Basics,” and I can’t wait to teach our kids important like skills, like how to fold a shirt, how to make a budget, how to sew on a button and tons more! Don’t forget to join our Facebook group to see our live classes and follow us on Pinterest, so you won’t miss a thing! You definitely need to follow Hannah at Inspired Sparks too, because she is posting all kinds of awesome videos to teach kids about science, crafts and cooking.

Letter Writing Practice for Kids

First, let’s get our kids excited about how to write a letter and address properly by asking them who they would like to write to! here is a fantastic list of places that kids can write to (like Disney characters, the President, the Queen, Santa and tons more!)

Once you have your letter ready, it is time to move on to the envelope!

How to Address an Envelope

Next, have your kids learn how to make envelopes with magazine paper. Not only is that a fun way to incorporate a craft into today’s virtual camp activity, but your recipient will absolutely love opening such a cool envelope! Alternatively, try out this popular kids stationary kit to make your own personalized letters!

Once you have your envelope ready, let’s discuss how to address it properly by doing the following:

On the upper left corner, write your own address (the return address).
Next, write the recipient’s address on the bottom half of the envelope (in the center).
Finally, stick a stamp on the top right corner.

We will elaborate on these steps below!

How to Write the Return Address

As shown in the photo above, you want to write the return address (or the sender’s address) in the upper left corner. You should write the following information.

On the first line, write your full name.
Then, write your street address on the 2nd line.
The 3rd line contains your city, state and zip code. We will discuss further down how to lookup your “ZIP+4” code too, though this isn’t required.
Finally, write the country. If you are in the USA and sending the letter to someone else who is also in America, then you can leave this out.

How to Write the Recipient’s Address

The recipient is who you are sending the letter to. You write the recipient’s address in the center of the bottom half of the envelope, as shown in the photo above. Here is all of the information that you should include!

You should use the same exact format for the recipient’s address as you did for the sender’s address above, if you are sending an informal letter (to a friend, family member, etc.)
On the other hand, if you are sending the letter to a business, then you should add an extra line at the beginning with the company’s name.
If you are sending the letter to a specific person at a business, then write the business name for the first line. However, for the second line, write either “c/o” (which stands for “care of”) or “ATTN:” (which stands for attention) followed by the person’s name.

What is My ZIP 4 Code?

The extra four numbers that you write after your typical five-digit zip code is called a ZIP+4 code. How do you find your ZIP+4 code? You can go to the USPS website here and do the following steps.

Look up a ZIP code by address, by clicking on the “Find by Address” button.
Enter your address (or your recipient’s address) and press the “Find” button.
The search results will show you the address, along with ZIP+4 code!

How Many Stamps Do I Need?

Now that USPS has Forever stamps, you don’t have to worry about adjusting your stamps as postage rates increase. However, a Forever stamp only covers the postage for a letter being sent in America that is one ounce or less. For every additional ounce, your postage goes up by 15 cents.

How Much are Postcard Stamps?

If you are sending a postcard, you do not need to use a Forever stamp. Instead, you can buy a special postcard stamp, which will cost less than a Forever stamp. However, if you are in a pinch, you can still use a Forever stamp, you are just paying more than you need to!