Each day when the mailman arrives Toodie jumps up from whatever she is doing and immediately asks to go check our mailbox. She has a perfect view from the window in her room and she always keeps one eye open for the mail truck. She loves being a helper and bringing the mail in. She loves getting her “own” mail even more..
Today Toodie got her very first, official, piece of mail! Thanks to her grandma she is now a subscriber to the “High Five” Highlights magazine. “High Five” is especially for children ages 2-6 years old and invites them to explore a world of fun with age appropriate activities. I remember reading the Highlights magazine when I was a little older than she is now and I thought they were the greatest thing in the world! I could tell she felt special that she now has a magazine to call her own.
The Highlights magazine was just as I remembered, and a bit re-vamped after 20+ years. It was full of simple stories, poems, learning activities, and even craft ideas. Toodie really enjoyed the activities where she was able to spot silly things or search for hidden items within the picture. We both had fun going through all of the pages together and this is her first piece of mail she can look forward to receiving each month.
All this thrill from the mailman’s visit each day gave me the idea to create our own mailbox. I want something that Toodie can access each day and check for herself without asking to go outside and check the mailbox 10 times a day!
I did a little searching on Pinterest & Google for homemade mailbox ideas and came across a few semi-easy projects.
These are mini plain white mailboxes decorated and personalized with the child’s name and photo. I have a ton of scrapbook paper that I could use for the outside and this would be a fun project to allow Toodie to decorate the box herself.
I had no idea that a simple cardboard box could be turned into a child size play mailbox! This is too cool. I could easily set this up by the front door and Toodie could drop her mail in it everyday. I really like this idea.
This is one of my favorite mailboxes that I found surfing the net. I love the bright colors and polka dots. This would be so cute on the front of Toodie’s bedroom door!
I haven’t decided what type of mailbox to make yet but with so many fun ideas floating around I am sure I have plenty of inspiration. Besides the bills, junk mail, and paper mailers … getting a surprise package makes everyone happy, even for us adults. Do your kids get excited when they see the mailman in front of the house too?
