With the spread of the internet and the mobile phone letter writing has almost become a lost art. But you know there are times when that little handwritten letter is more appropiate that a text or email.

It’s a long time ago since I was at school, long before the invention of the internet, letter writing was considered very important then. Teaching how to write a short letter, a thank you letter, even a letter to Santa was considered very important. It was a practical way of showing you had a command of your native language.

Encourage your child to write from the very beginning. Once they have the fundementals then alway have a plentiful supply of colorful stationary available. It’s a good idea to include some preprinted thank-you notes, holiday cars and the like so as they get into the habit of reaching for one. A supply of stamps is also essential. As well as encouraging them to write encourage them to post to their various friends.

While a child can very quickly ‘bounce’ an email or text back they might not be aware of how letters are set out. Teach them the etiquette involved – Return Address, top right hand corner: Date, just below the last line of the address, the Salutation, and the ending. Teach them the difference between: Yours faithfully, Yours truely, Yours sincerely.

Helping your children develop the habit of writing letters and thank-you notes will have positive benefits in the future. Writing a thank-you to a classmate for a birthday party invitation can translate into a thank-you to a prospective employer for a job interview a dozen years from now. Letter-writing etiquette essentially means good manners and consideration of other people, and those character traits can only benefit your children as they become responsible, caring adults.