How to Establish a Pen Pal Program for your Classroom

If you are a teacher, a Pen Pals program is one of the BEST ways to give kids in the classroom a real-life lesson in Language Arts, Geography, Social Studies & more…  and though I don’t currently teach, at one point I did and the kids always loved hearing from other children their age, who lived far away.

My kids are currently 9 and 6, and of all the things they do in school right now, this is their favorite – they talk about their Pen Pals daily and it has motivated them to want to write more to (which is a GREAT thing!)  They look forward to hearing from their other classmates, and it’s the first thing they want to talk about when I pick them up from school.

If you can begin working on setting this up as soon as possible in the school year you will maximize the interaction that you will have through the length of the school year.

Advantages of a Pen Pal Program

Students always love a Pen Pals program ~  if you can set up a  Pen Pal Program it’ll have a number of benefits for your classroom…

1. A chance to practice writing letters (which is unfortunately becoming a lost art form!) – aim for the proper format per the Language Arts standard
2. A chance to learn about other societies and cultures from around the world (tie in with the Social Studies and Geography standards)
3. The opportunity for them to WANT to be letter writers well after the school year has finished
4. And the opportunity to establish and maintain friendships with children from other cultures/societies

Is Snail Mail Better than Email?

In a time when most kids are glued to screens, I think it’s important to maintain the standard pencil and paper pen pals because they can keep the art of writing traditional letters active – the most they practice the better they become.  Although if you don’t want to do snail mail, there are SOME Pen Pal groups that will accommodate email opportunities too (for the older kids perhaps).

You’ll also want to ensure you select a class that is at the same grade level in which you are teaching.

Finding Pen Pals for the Pen Pal Program

Finding a grade level that is equivalent to your classroom is rather easy – there are many resources out there that you can use to partner up with another enthusiastic teacher:

—Use a Pen Pal Matching Service:  there are several available – here are 5:

International Pen Friends exclusively promotes writing (in lieu of email)

ePals (one of the largest email pen pal sites if you choose that route in lieu of writing)

Teachers Corner is another large map where you can find pen pals – starting at age 5!

Pen Pal World has 1,800,000 Pen Pal opportunities from around the world

Pen Pals who Write is also a great way to link up with other educators who might be looking for a classroom to keep in touch with!

—-Use an Educational Forum: Such as Teachers Corner or Edmodo is also great, too!

—-Remember our Troops:  Your classroom can also write to the Soldiers in our Military branches. Read HERE for more.

Safety and Security in Writing

Of course, in today’s time you have to be very careful about keeping the safety and security of the children first and foremost – read this article here to ensure you are understanding of the risks associated with a Pen Pal program.

You will also make sure that the children are not too descriptive in their letters to the point that they are giving away personal information to their pen pal contacts.

Keep in Touch with the Educator

When starting a Pen Pal Program, keep in close contact with the educator you are working with – try to establish a better sense of how letters will be sent (individually, or as a huge batch?) and how often you will send them to the other group.