"Every wednesday morning all children take the time to put pen to paper"
When was the last time you wrote a letter? Not an email or text or What’s App message but a hand written letter on beautifully illustrated note paper using a proper ink pen. Snail Mail.
At Pembroke House, as much as we take a progressive approach to our curriculum we also instil good old fashioned values and manners. We still believe that sitting down to write a letter is a valuable skill and an excellent habit to hold.
So, every Wednesday morning during Form Time, all children at Pembroke House take the time to put pen to paper. It could be a letter of thanks, a letter to faraway friends or a letter to grandparents telling them about a recent sports match result.
Regardless to who they write, there is almost a ritual involved with the careful addressing and sealing of the envelope, licking of the stamp and running straight off to the letter box to pop it in the post. And the Pembroke post box is a thing of beauty. A traditional English ‘hole in the wall’ painted in pillar-box red with gold, ER II insignia.
Then there is the anticipation of waiting for a reply.
Children can often be seen sneaking in the school office to check the boarding house in-tray for the long awaited correspondence. Letter writing is a thoughtful act that not only brings joy to the recipient but is rewarding to the sender when they receive a letter in return. In an age when we expect instant digital notifications or responses, there is something rather special about waiting for a letter, carefully opening up the envelope and holding the paper in your hands.
Our top five benefits to letter writing for children;
- Improves their handwriting and spelling skills
- Helps to maintain family ties and friendships
- The process of thinking and writing uses multiple brain functions which increases clarity and broadens their perspective
- Reduces any feelings of loneliness
- Creates a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment
