You’ve Got Mail!

Young children, especially toddlers and preschoolers love to act out different jobs and to engage in pretend play scenarios where
they are “working”.   This “You’ve Got Mail” game taps into your child’s imagination while also motivating your child to learn new academic and gross motor concepts.  Your child will love this mail box game so much that they may not even realize they are learning and moving!

What You’ll Need:

Envelopes

Paper

Markers

Toy Mailbox (or make one yourself out of a box)

Here’s how to play:

1. Make envelopes: If you want to focus on the academics, write that include various learning concepts (such as shapes, colors, alphabet letters, or numbers) on the front of the envelope. Make envelopes with your desired learning outcomes
   on the front.  (Add a fun “return address and sticker “stamp” stamp to make it look more authentic!)

2. Write “Letters”:  Add a mixture of different types of notes in the envelopes to enhance learning and to make it fun for the child.   For example, write some notes with gross motor activities, academic questions, and some that are fun “surprises” for y
   our child.  Stuff the notes inside each envelop.  You will open these up after all the mail has been delivered to the mailbox.

3. Get a fun, cute mailbox. (I had a toy mailbox that worked well but you can easily make one out of a box with a slit cut in it for the letters to go in.
   

4. Play: Place the mailbox at a distance away from the letters then tell the child to place a specific letter and put it in the mailbox as fast as they can. For example, you could say “find the envelope with the blue circle on it and go put it in the mailbox”.

5. Read the Letters: After the child places all the envelopes in the mailbox, take them out together and read the notes inside. Your child will love to see the “surprises” written on each of the notes.
6. Play It Smarter: * Add more movement – You could have the child deliver the envelope to the mailbox using different types of gross motor movements such as by hopping, skipping, crawling, jumping, crab walking, etc… ) * Foster Creativity- Have your child dress up like a mail carrier to play the game to encourage more creative play.