Letter to a Character
To develop purposeful writing and empathy through writing letters to story characters.
- Framework: EYFS
- Unit: EYFS Literacy
- Learning area: Literacy
- Level: EYFS Reception
Objectives
- Writes in letter format
- Composes sentences independently
- Applies phonics in spelling
- Shows empathy for character
Materials
- Letter writing paper
- Envelopes
- Character pictures
- Phonics mats and word walls
Instructions
After reading a story with a compelling character situation: 'Poor Goldilocks — she was so frightened! Shall we write her a letter to make her feel better?'
Model the letter format: 'Dear Goldilocks' at the top, the message in the middle, 'Love from Class 3' at the bottom. Keep the format simple and consistent.
Compose together first: 'What shall we say? Dear Goldilocks, we are sorry you were scared. The bears were friendly really. What else?' Shared composition before independent writing.
Children write their own letters independently. Remind them to use phonics: 'Sound it out — what can you hear?' and to check: 'Capital letter? Full stop? Finger spaces?'
Post the letters in a class post box. 'Write back' as the character: a reply from Goldilocks arrives the next day! The excitement of receiving a character's reply is extraordinary.
This activity combines writing composition, phonics application, empathy, and text comprehension in one authentic task.