Writing a letter to Santa Claus is a time-honored tradition. Last year, we were lucky enough to receive a written response (see above), which was a big surprise, as well as a video response. (Check out Portable North Pole for your own personalized video message from Santa.) However, I’ve told the boys that Santa is very busy, and sometimes he just doesn’t have time to write because he’s got to finish building all the toys.
Writing a letter to Santa serves as a wonderful learning activity on many levels. First, we talked about the different parts of a letter: date, salutation (Dear Santa), body, closing (Your friend), etc. We also discussed what they might say in the letter. In the first paragraph, they talked about how nice it was to see Santa recently. In the second paragraph, they asked for their Christmas gifts. In the final paragraph, the boys sent their good wishes for a safe flight Christmas Eve, talked about the cookies they would leave out and so forth.
Older children can print or write the letter on their own (great practice). For younger ones, you’ll have to take dictation, but they can sign their name. Another way of approaching the request for toys is to copy pages from toy catalogs and let your child cut them out for cutting practice. Then your child can glue the pictures onto paper to make a collage. Don’t forget to put the letter in the mail addressed to Santa Claus, The North Pole. You never know when you’ll receive a written response!
Kirsten W. Larson 