I just love this activity, and we don’t do it as often as we should. Having your preschooler send an email can help your child:
- Feel more comfortable with computers and keyboards
- Practice their alphabet and spelling
- Learn where letters are on the keyboard
- Understand basic computer functionality like backspacing, space bars, and the enter key
Now, I am not suggesting that you create a separate email address for your preschooler and have them check it. Of course, if you have the time and inclination, you certainly can. I just use my own email account.
My son can pick who he wants to email or I can choose for him. He tells me what he wants to say and I tell him how to spell it and when to press the space bar. It is a long and grueling process, but it is worth it.
My biggest challenge is keeping him from holding the keys down too long. The first couple times, it was an accident, but then he starting doing it just for fun.
This was my son’s first email:
hi omi.. i lovvvvvvvve yooooooooooooooooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu…..
He had no intention of removing the extra letters and it didn’t seem right for me to clean it up before we sent it. Besides, Omi (his grandmother) didn’t mind.