Writing a letter to a favorite Disney character is a great way to motivate a child who struggles with handwriting to practice those ABCs. With the promise of a return letter from Mickey, Donald, Buzz Lightyear, or Cinderella, kids will rush to get out the pen and paper.
Writing this letter to Olaf from Frozen was even more exciting for my son than putting together the pop up book we made and this past weekend!
If you child is also dancing and singing the songs from Frozen, they may want to write to one of that movie's characters. Whichever character they choose, kids can write to a Disney character and Disney will send a return postcard! I knew immediately that my 5-year-old would love to write a letter to Olaf. (Olaf is the snowman, in case you are one of the 15 people who has yet to see the movie.)
If your child is still a pre-reader but knows his alphabet, have them dictate the letter to you, and then model the letters on a separate piece of paper. My son copied out the letter in his own handwriting. He drew a little snowman at the bottom and signed the letter.
When handwriting is still under development the goal is to make writing and enjoyable experience and to show that writing serves a purpose. For this activity, there is no need to correct handwriting mistakes. Allow your child to take ownership of their writing, to build their self-confidence.
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Further Resources:
My absolute favorite resource for playful writing ideas for kids of all ages is The Write Start: A Guide to Nurturing Writing at Every Stage, from Scribbling to Forming Letters and Writing Stories. If you support your child's writing development at home, this is a must for your bookshelf.
Address for Letter to Disney Character
To send your letter to Disney and get a standard postcard in return, address the envelope to:
Walt Disney World Communications
P.O. Box 10040
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0040
More ways to practice handwriting:
Bethany Winston says
We will definitely be copying this idea. My 5 year old has a crush on Elsa. : )
Kim Vij (@EducatorsSpin) says
This is such a fun idea Erica, writing to famous authors and characters on TV can be a fun idea too!
Kelly at Little Wonders' Days says
I really like this idea! My oldest had a fine motor delay and writing was really hard for him. Keeping it fun and low pressure was so important. I think I'm going to add this activity to our summer writing.
Natalie PlanetSmartyPants says
See, TV has its benefits 😀 My daughter also enjoyed Frozen, the first Disney movie she actually watched to the end and without skipping parts.
homeeducatingmum says
I live in Australia. Do you know if they will reply to overseas senders?
Erica MomandKiddo says
Unfortunately, I don't know.
Kersandra says
I have known about this however I've never done it. Thank you for reminding me of this amazing idea!!! Love it!
Sarah shows says
I'd challenge him to sound out the words himself... I teach k5 and I never have them COPY anything...
Erica MomandKiddo says
Thanks for the tip!
Maricris Villareal says
We just got our replies for our letters to Olaf and Elsa. Unfortunately, they were generic postcards from Mickey and friends (no Olaf), and the other was from the Disney Princesses (no Elsa, yet). So it was a bit disappointing to my girls. I'm not complaining since it's a free service after all, but just a fair warning so you can set expectations appropriately for your kids.
Erica MomandKiddo says
When we got our Mickey and Friends card I was worried he'd be disappointed, but he was more concerned about why Olaf didn't answer all of his questions!
Nicholas Newton says
How long does it take to get a reply? We did this in July and still haven’t had a reply in October.