As an Amazon Services LLC Associate, some of these items contain affiliate links, meaning if you click a link and make a purchase, we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Our recommendations are made to be genuinely helpful and useful.
We love using snail mail as one of the main forms of communication with our grandkids. I started sending my granddaughters mail when they were just two years old and it hasn’t stopped. This post is all about customizable, creative things you can send in the mail to your grandchildren!
Creative Items to Send in the Mail With A Letter
1.A recipe. You might even consider turning this one into a care package and mailing the ingredients too. Schedule a video chat after school and have a baking date!
2. A Photo/Pictures – It could be a picture of something you write about in your letter. A photo of the two of you together during your most recent visit. Even a photo of something seemingly simple that just made you think of them.
3. Scavenger hunt
RELATED: 5 Minute Connection Ideas for Grandparents
4. Beachball with a message. Blow up the beach ball and write a message in each color section then deflate and mail.
You could also write a question or category in each of the colors so that when you chat, you roll the ball and have a conversation starter!
5. Post-it notes
6. Fun patterned/colored paper
7. Mini notebooks
8. Stencils
9. Stickers
10. Mad libs. You can find mad libs online or even write your own.
I’ve done this multiple times and then it has personalization to it.
For example, I’ve written a “Christmas at Grandma’s” mad lib and “Grandma loves you” mad lib.
I simply write a story and then go back and replace words with blanks.
That way I’m using the names of our family members and locations/items they are familiar with. It has been a huge hit in the past!
We have a mad lib in the Ultimate Guide to Snail Mail (along with 20+ other templates) which is a free download in the Printables Library. You can sign up for our email newsletter and get access right away.
11. A photo glued inside an envelope containing your letter. This one is kind of hard to explain so I attached a blog post below that shows multiple options.
It’s so cute right? I’ve never done this before but I can’t wait to try it now.
Creative Things to Send in a Mail Series
A mail series is a creative and fun way to communicate with your grandkids that involves sending multiple pieces of mail over a period of time.
It’s especially fun for elementary and older kids.
If you’re going to be seeing them, you might even time the arrival of your last envelope so that you can deliver it in person.
There are so many possibilities!
12. Create or purchase a puzzle. Then send one piece per envelope over a certain period of time.
If you create your own, use something heavy-duty for the pieces. You could write a message, or glue a photo onto a heavier material
13. Create a message. Then send them a letter. Literally, one letter at a time. They’ll have a ton of fun trying to figure the message out!
14. Write a story, and mail it one section at a time.
15. Send a crossword puzzle or word search, but text them just one or two clues a day. (We’ve got a couple for you in the free guide at the end of this post.)
Sending Mail Has our Stamp of Approval
Snail mail has helped me connect consistently, mindfully, and also spontaneously which are all important in our relationships with grandkids.
This quote from ’10 reasons why snail mail is the best mail’ pretty much sums up our thoughts.
“Because people have loved letters since… forever.
People have been exchanging letters for nearly all of history and the joy of giving and receiving mail endures.
Mail makes people happy in a different way than texts and emails.
Brighten someone’s day by sending them mail. Mail has my stamp of approval.”
Don’t forget to download the Ultimate Guide to Snail Mail from the printables library and get started on your mail connections today!