Therapeutic Benefits of Penpals
The time-honored tradition of written correspondence
The longest lasting pen friendship (pen pals) is 83 years 172 days, and was achieved by Ruth Magee (Canada) and Beryl Richmond (UK), as verified on 5 June 2023. Ruth and Beryl began corresponding as children through a school pen pal program in 1939.
Open up your world!
Get excited when you hear mail being put through your letterbox!
Most mail is usually takeaway leaflets or bills but now your days can be brightened by friendship
Make lasting friendships with people who enjoy sending and receiving snail mail
Send each other hand-made positive quotes, jokes etc.
Play games of noughts and crosses on post-it notes, and send back and forth in your letters
Penpals Forever for the Elderly
We all want to help our senior loved ones be as happy and comfortable as possible in their golden years.
One of the most overlooked aspects of caring for our senior loved ones is making sure that they remain socially connected to people who make them feel heard and valued.
One of the easiest ways to plug our senior loved ones into the world around them is the time-honored tradition of written correspondence. Simply put, good old fashioned pen pals for seniors!
Penpals Forever for International Friends
Writing to pen pals to travel and learn
There is something very special about having pen pals scattered all over the world.
It’s an opportunity to learn about so many different cultures, languages, traditions and ways of life.
This need not necessarily be by having stacks of international pen pals, sometimes a pen pal just a few hundred miles away can be a way to travel vicariously, and then of course there will be those friends who live on the other side of the globe.
For some pen pals, this idea of sending letters that then travel the world is a big part of the enjoyment for them, especially when they are themselves travellers at heart.
Penpals Forever for Children
Some of my kids who moan & groan when it comes to writing, eagerly want to begin writing back to their penpals!
Letter writing promotes patience; delayed gratification in children.
Since their letters are going to a real person, we’ve had many lessons about the purpose & importance of using correct grammar, proofreading for spelling, punctuation, and capitalisation.
Looking to help your child make new friends? Kids and teens with special needs can find it hard to make friends on their own.
Getting a pen pal can brighten your child’s day and let them know that someone is thinking about them.
Allow your child to find something special in the mailbox waiting for them!
Penpals Forever for Mental Wellbeing
Penpals can combat mental health difficulties
Although we live in a society that is supposedly more sociable and connected than it ever has been, there is an increase in loneliness.
People work from home, people are dealing with chronic illnesses and struggle to get out and about, people move about more and find it hard to repeatedly build new relationships, family units are often more spread out.
The list goes on and on, I am sure you can think of another hundred reasons. But whatever the reason, having pen pals can help to alleviate that sense of loneliness. People can share their lives with someone else through their letters and a letter dropping through the mailbox can make all the difference some days.
Penpals is great for anyone anxious with socialising and grief related circumstances
Penpals is a hobby you can do inside, so you don’t have to get anxious about going out or socialising.
As well as the friendship and getting to know someone, you also learn what helps each other.
Facebook Penpals Group
There’s Positive Pen pals group on Facebook which is a community with over 3,500 members where you can post if you’re looking for pen pals
No one in the group is ever judged for their mental health and they really promote positivity around it.
Sara
“Until I started pen palling I never realised how many people there were out there like me who can relate first hand to what it’s like living with an anxiety disorder. I now enjoy talking to my friends each day”
Julian
“I am never lonely and have found such a fun yet simple hobby with friends I love