Writing letters is a long-standing practice, a way of communicating with others and expressing our feelings and ideas. A thank you note or a "just writing to say hello" letter, doesn't take a lot of the sender's time and it brings a lot of joy to the recipient. Besides the already known benefits of writing, such as fine motor skills development and cognitive benefits that come from needing to organize our ideas before putting them in writing; writing has the great benefit of giving children the powerful opportunity to be engaged protagonists as they give back a small token of appreciation to their family, friends or community.
The Pen Pals project's goal is to assemble kits that include cards that volunteers have previously decorated so children and families can decorate and handwrite a thank you note to someone who has made their day special.
