How to Play Pretend Post Office
How to Play Pretend Post Office
Do your children love to play pretend? And do your kids love to get mail? Here are simple directions on how to play pretend post office. My youngest is OBSESSED with the mail. He mails people artwork, letters, and candy all the time. It is a wonderful hobby for so many reasons. First and foremost he has been doing this since he was a toddler making it excellent entertainment. He loves to put the mail into the big blue box and make sure that the letter was sent. He was even a postman for Halloween and his sister was the package.
Therefore, I knew if I created a Pretend Play Post Office for him, he would be thrilled. And boy was I right! He has been playing with it for hours.
Here is how we set up the post office printables.
Create a mailbox. We used the printable from the Pretend Play Post Office packet. Simply print, cut out and place on top of a shoebox.
Offer the child the postcard templates or the letter templates. He or she can draw and write letters. The wonderful thing about these templates is that they are great for a wide age range. If you have a little one, let them draw, color and make marks on the paper. If you have an older child, they can write a postcard or letter to someone and mail it.
Don’t forget to add an OPEN and CLOSED sign for the mail room.
You can just add regular lined paper or print the templates from the Pretend Play Post Office packet. If you do use the packet, you can conserve color ink and print in grayscale.
If your child is interested, add a price sheet (these ones are from the packet) but you could just write your own. We also added other printables from the packet – blank shipping labels, create your own stamps, telegraph and more. Add in some scissor practice and create the post office hat.
Add in even more literacy and handwriting, with the word lists, receipts, and delivery printables. The clipboard makes needing a signature for a package more official!
You can get the complete Pretend Play Post Office packet here.
Pretend play is so important for children – whether it be playing post office, doctor, school, etc. Here are 5 reasons why children NEED pretend play:
- Opportunities to practice new life skills in a safe environment. Children can practice caring for baby dolls, going to the doctor, feeding pets and more all within one play scene.
- Provide social interactions between other children. During pretend play children need to cooperate and take turns.
- Expand expressive and receptive language skills and early literacy skills. Children expand their vocabulary as they discuss all the different words during imaginative play. Read here about how to focus on pretend play to help with early literacy skills.
- Provides motor skills practice. Children have to use fine motor skills, gross motor skills and visual perceptual skills when managing props during pretend play.
- Develops IMAGINATION! Research indicates that participating in fantasy-oriented play may be one way to directly enhance executive function development.
Read more on pretend play:
20 Amazing Pretend Play Ideas to Try Right Now
Four Processes of Pretend Play and Why It is Important
Focus on Pretend Play to Help with Early Literacy
Pretend Play and Executive Function
