Penpals

Keep it child to child. Ask a out of area/state friend or relative to help you find a girl around her age that would also like the idea of a pen pal. Or ask her teacher if she might know of a child that would like to be a pen pal.

Is there someplace online? Or maybe the school would have a 'safe' registry or be able to point you right. Sometimes kids' books have a club and offer penpals. Kids' magazines sometimes offer such. I know that I gained a couple very wonderful penpals through Harlequin book service. To this day we still keep in touch and I hooked up with one in '08.

I am sure there are 8 year olds in our Sunday School classes that would write to her. Would you like a referral?

S.

Our church has a pen pal club for its kids 10 years old and up, printed in its weekly magazine. The pen pals are listed by name, gender, age, and interests. I enjoyed corresponding with many girls while I was growing up. I did submit my information at one point and later in life got many letters from young men in africa looking for wives. So nothing is fool proof. They weren't perverts, but often asked for money. I'm sure there is a pen pal organization you could contact to find someone for your child to write to. I'd be sure that they use actual letters and not online stuff. It would be easier to monitor what's doing on.

Hi,

Do you have any relatives that live out of state or that you don't keep in touch with as often as you would like, like cousins, or aunts and uncles? I would try them first, at least you know who you are dealing with.

I actually got my first pen pal when visiting some friends my parents knew at a dinner and me and my pen pal hit it off during the dinner and our parents suggested we write to each other to keep in touch. It's so funny you asked this question because we fell out of touch almost a decade ago and I was thinking of trying to find her again.

Hope this helps!

Have your daughter choose a country she's interested in. Then find out if there are any international/American schools there (so that the language is still English to make things simple) and contact them (a simple email, which would be on the school's website, will probably be fine) to see if any of the students would like to be penpals with your daughter.

I would recommend talking to an independent living center in your town. The elderly people there are always anxious to exchange letters. You could talk to the director for recommendations on who would be a good person.

You might be able to find one through the school. Ask the teacher. Some of my kids' classes have had penpals with schools in other countries.

I think it's really neat that your daughter wants to do that.

yes, nowadays, such private information/home address/name/age of a child can easily be used in perverted ways... or what if the penpal then gives her information to others or her photo, which penpals often exchange.

I would, perhaps penpal with a friend or family friend's child that you know and can trust.

I would, use a P.O.Box address as well, if she does attain a penpal. Not your personal home address.

I had a penpal when I was a child. Its fun and helps them with writing and spelling etc. But nowadays, the world is so much more dangerous, with child crimes.

All the best,
Susan

I know a bunch of people who are adopting soldiers as pen pals, as a family. http://www.penpalsforsoldiers.org/index.php is a good place to start.

Melissa

I asked this very question on a post dated 10-12-09. Take a look at my history. I found a wonderful website (www.amazing-kids.org) that will match your child with a penpal (snail mail not email). I listed all of the info on the "So what happened?" section.

My soon to be 8 year old has made a great match and has been exchanging letters since January 2010. I would offer to exchange addresses with you but I don't think we could manage more than one penpal at the moment. Best of luck in your search!

I just went to an event where I met a 12 year old boy who had a major (Major Bob) deployed in Iraq as his pen pal. He has exchanged many letters (Mom read them all and assured me all of it appropriate for the boy) and it has led to the boy marshalling donations of food and snacks to send to the whole regiment.
The event we were at was a "cardboard box derby" where kids built sleds out of boxes and duct tape and raced them. The boy had clearly put a huge amount of work into his "Bob sled" which was covered with patriotic decorations...they organized a bake sale to raise funds for snacks etc...and although he didn't win the race he came third and surely had a lot of photos to send to Major Bob.
All of this to say that it a pen pal can be enormously gratifying and morph into something great. If not a soldier, then someone else. Don't worry too much about perverts hunting down your family. If it's really a concern rent a PO box (share the expense with classmates?) until you have had time to vet the pen pal, you can probably use the PO box for other things too.

I have a son who just turned 10 who is looking for a pen pal as well. His older brother has one in New York who we met on vacation 2 summers ago. If you are interested, send me a private message and we could trade addresses.

If you attend church have them write to families in other countries. They love receiving mail and will write back. My son did this once and the whole family responded. The smaller children drew him pictures and the older on wrote notes. It was great.

Ask a friend in another town who has a child with a similar age to be her pen pal! Or see if her teacher knows of anyone?

Maybe you could contact the Red Cross or Veterans office in your area ... perhaps they have a student in another country or a veteran or current military person. Just a thought. Of course, monitor the selection and conversations.

WE WOULD..

My daughter is 6.5, and I think that would be great experience for both and I'd help.

send me a message if you want my address..

Melissa, my daughter is 7 and has been a pen pal to a local school here so she knows about being one. I asked her and she would love to be a pen pal with your daughter. We live in Rudyard. If you are interested let me know.

S.