“The kids loved the Friendly Letter Boogie—that was a fun entertaining way to make the lesson stick. I still catch them doing it.” –Jennifer, NC
The early elementary years are the perfect time to introduce children to writing a friendly letter. Part of writing a letter includes learning to format it properly. With all those headings and greetings and signatures, this can get complicated for young children, who are still just learning about writing sentences and paragraphs.
That’s why mnemonics, songs, fingerplays, and motion activities are so valuable at this age—they reinforce trickier concepts, help kids learn new skills, and help with recall.
Let’s Do the “Friendly Letter Boogie”
My granddaughter was excited to demonstrate the Friendly Letter Boogie! Your children will enjoy this movement activity to help them remember the parts of a friendly letter.
Heading
At the very top of a friendly letter is the heading. The date goes here. Ask your child to pat her head to remember that the heading comes first.
Greeting
Second comes the greeting, such as “Dear Grandma.” Extend and shake hands to “greet” each other.
Body
Third is the body of the letter. Invite your child to wiggle her body to remember that the body of the letter comes next.
Closing
The closing appears at the bottom of the letter, where your child writes: “Love,” “Your friend,” or “Sincerely.” Tell her to close her feet together for the closing.
Signature
Finally, to help your child remember to add her signature to the bottom of the letter, have her sign her name on the floor with her foot.
Isn’t this a fun way to practice and remember? Each day that you work on writing a letter together, have your children do the Friendly Letter Boogie. Before you know it, they’ll have mastered the steps of formatting a basic letter!
WriteShop Primary, an early-elementary writing curriculum for homeschoolers, is filled with games and activities—fun ways to help you introduce important skills to your youngest writers.
Primary Book B teaches 6- to 8-year-olds how to write a friendly letter—and to do the Friendly Letter Boogie, of course!
