12 Awesome Letter Writing Tips From Kid Correspondents

There is nothing quite like the smile of a sponsored child as they read a letter from their sponsor. We know our sponsors share similar moments as they read the words from their sponsored children or decipher the drawings masterfully created in crayon.

Exchanging letters is one of the most treasured aspects of our program, but sometimes it’s challenging to know exactly what to write. In the past, we’ve shared writing prompts and tips to help sponsors in their letter writing journey. But for the first time, we are excited to share some insights from some of our youngest correspondents.

We asked a few amazing kids to tell us their best letter writing tips and were so inspired that we wanted to share their thoughts with you. Meet Evie, Grace and Traynor!

Evie’s Insights

Eight-year-old Evie began writing her family’s sponsored child, Maribela, in the Philippines when Evie was 4. Not long after, she started making art to raise money for children in poverty around the world. Exchanging art with Maribela is one of her favorite activities.

• It’s important for kids to write to sponsored children because it’s exciting to hear from someone across the world who is their age!
• Write encouraging things like: You can be whatever you want if you put your mind to it!
• Learn more about them by asking questions like: What’s it like where you live? What’s your favorite food? How do you get to school?
• It’s important to send pictures of your family so they can know what you look like. Maybe they will draw pictures of you!
• Always include artwork. It’s important to send drawings because let’s say they have a dream to become a doctor, you can draw a picture of them as a doctor and say, “I see you in your future doing this!” That will be really encouraging to them.

Grace’s Guidance

Grace, 13, was just 9 years old when she hosted her first Compassion Sunday event (pictured above). Then she hosted a second one a year later. Over both events she helped 56 children find sponsors!

• Tell them about you! Tell them about how school or work is going! Tell them about fun things you have done. Tell them about your pets, your favorite color, your favorite season! All of it!
• Ask about their holidays and traditions. It’s always cool to get to learn about other people's cultures. So, ask them about their favorite holiday. Ask them what traditions they have. That will be one of the best ways you can learn about your sponsor child and the life and culture they live in!

Traynor’s Tips

Twelve-year-old Traynor recently hiked 12 miles to raise money and awareness for children in poverty. In addition to being in the outdoors, he loves to write to his family’s sponsored child, Meron, in Ethiopia.

• Ask questions! It helps to have a running conversation, so the letters aren’t one sided.
• Tell your child about yourself and your family to help him to get to know you better, too.
• Send photos of your family so your child can put a face to your name.
• Put time and effort into your drawings or letters because it makes a difference in their lives.
• Send Bible verses to encourage them.

We hope these awesome tips from our kid correspondents inspire you to write your next letter! And if you have children, don’t forget to involve them in the process. Your sponsored child will treasure their words (and artwork) for years to come.

Want more inspiration to get your kids involved in your sponsorship journey? Check out Compassion Explorer, our children’s magazine, and get a free subscription if you’re a sponsor or donor in the U.S.!