With today’s technology we can send messages across the world in three seconds. In this fast-paced world, who needs to write a letter? With email, fax machines, telephones (and the list goes on), who needs a good old-fashioned piece of paper and a pencil? Unfortunately, this is the view of most people today. According to the US Postal Service’s website, mail traffic has gone down by over five million pieces since the year 2000. In 2001 it was estimated that over 12 billion emails were sent per day. Today, the average per day is at about 30 billion, and the average person sends 6.4 emails per day. This is likely due to the above-mentioned quickness of technology.

Despite this, sometimes—whether it is the required way to communicate or simply the polite thing to do—a letter is in order. While we may know how to write a proper letter if the need arises, more likely than not, our children don’t.

So how do we teach kids to write a proper letter, and how do we make them want to? First, we need to know how. Here are some of the basic steps in letter writing.

In several situations, a letter is either expected or very kind:

• Thank-you notes are given when you receive a gift or someone does something kind for you. They should be addressed to the person(s) you’re thanking.

• Bed-and-breakfast notes are given when you stay with someone for a long period of time, such as going out of town to stay with family or friends. They should be addressed to the owner(s) of the home.

• Friendly notes are your average "how are you?" notes.

• Business letters are sent to professionals in some field. They are addressed to a specific person, if available. Business letters are sent in several situations. You might write a letter to place an order, to send a complaint, or to try to sell something. You might write a senator or the president of a company.

Next, remember that there are five parts to a letter: contact information, date, greeting or salutation, body, and closing and signature. Every letter should have each of these.

Contact Information

It’s kind to include contact information so that the person receiving the letter has your current name and address. The contact information should be written in the top, left-hand corner of the first page. It should include your name, address, and phone number or email address, if you want to tell it. Here’s an example:

Katie Clark

12345 Anywhere St.