I’m obviously a huge fan of snail mail. I think it’s a fantastic way to interact and connect with other people. I’ve found that I’m much more likely to relate with someone I meet through the mail than someone I meet in person, just because the internet has tailored our ability to find like-minded people. The thing is, some people are intimidated by contacting a stranger. This is completely understandable, but today I’m going to give you some suggestions of things to talk about in your postcards and letters.
I’ve received an enormous amount of introductory letters that state something to the effect of “I don’t ever know what to write in an introduction about myself!” You can use any combination of the 50 suggestions below to give your penpal a better idea about who you are. It’s all about sharing and connecting! And if you’re really not a snail mail person, remember there’s nothing wrong with utilizing the internet for fostering connections! Check out the benefits of joining a chatroom to find your tribe!
Stay till the end to get a free mail log printable!
Lists
- States and countries you’ve been to
- People you’d invite to a celebrity dinner
- Your family members, and something they each like and dislike
- What you’d put in a time capsule
- Parts of society that you’d like to change
- Things you’re really good at
- Everything you’ve eaten in the past twenty-four hours
- Things that you do every day
- Your favorite TV shows, movies, bands, or books
- The things you’ve dressed up as for past Halloweens
- Unusual facts about you
- Things that make you happy
- Your duties at work
- What you’re currently seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting, and feeling
- What you collect
- Goals lists for this month or year
- Times you’ve performed for other people
- Awards you’ve won
- Nicknames you’ve had (and how you got them)
- Sports you’ve played and/or hobbies you’ve had
Learn Everything There Is To Know About Snail Mail!
Other
- Your favorite color
- Your favorite cuisine
- Your favorite beverages
- Your favorite season
- Your favorite word
- Your favorite number
- Your favorite holiday
- Your favorite quote
- Your favorite blog
- Your favorite superhero
- Your favorite Disney movie
- The type of letters/mail you like to receive
- The most adventurous thing you ever did
- Your preferences: hot vs. cold, cats vs. dogs, ketchup vs. mustard, etc.
- Whether you believe in god, ghosts, aliens, and/or magic
- Your main mode of transportation
- How tall you are
- When your birthday is
- The last movie you saw in theaters (and how it was)
- How you would describe your fashion style
- Your life story in six words
- What shoes you wear the most of
- Any fears you have
- What you were like in high school
- Weird/awkward dates you’ve been on
- Something illegal you’ve done
- Why you like mail and how you got into it
- The silliest thing you did in the past week
- What you would wish for right now
- Something funny or cute your pet did
50 more penpal prompts
Get a FREE envelope template, tutorial, and other snail mail freebies!
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Bonus! Want a free printable to keep track of your incoming and outgoing mail?
Bonus: Get a free mail log printable!
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Photo credit: Lisa Rowan
Wow, this is a really great list. Thanks for sharing!
Of course!
what do you like to do?
Thanks for this list. I had to add this page to my bookmarks since for the first time in fifteen years I have a penpal- actually, I have two. One is writing me first, and I am waiting for her first letter and the other one I sent a letter to a few days ago. Though I wish I had this list then; it was difficult to come up with things to say to someone I really didn’t know anything about (well- I knew she is late twenties with a pet and was just in the hospital so I talked about those things for a paragraph or two).
Sorry the list was belated for your needs, but I’m glad that you are into snail mail again! And just FYI there is another list up with 50 more ideas for you to use.
what an awesome list. I just blogged about it.
you rock.
Well thanks for sharing the love, Karen!
I write lots and lots and lots of letters and introductory ones can sometimes be the most difficult. I loved the unique and detailed list you provided–thanks so much. I would add to make some of those favorites descriptive not, So my favorite movie is . . . and my favorite book is . . and my favorite color is . . Sounds silly but I’ve gotten those lists. Also, I would emphasize asking your penpal questions as you do this. If you say your best moment of the year, ask the person about their best moment. A letter that shows interest in the person being written TO is as important as writing a letter that is interesting. Thanks!
All very good points, Tami! I completely agree that any letter you’re writing should express genuine interest in the recipient, so feel free to use this list as questions that *you* can ask your penpals, too!
Great post, Mary…love all the ideas!
Thanks!
this is a really good website keep up the great
Thanks Elvira! I’ll try 🙂
I can’t find anything on here about how to get pen pals. Are there certain directions I can go? Then how does your world expand after the first one? Thanks.
Judy I’m looking for a pen pal. Get back to me to learn more.
Kirsten, I hope that Judy responded to you. Either way, though, you might find my How To Find Penpals post useful: https://uncustomary.org/how-to-find-penpals/
Good question, Judy. Feel free to check out this post for more information: https://uncustomary.org/how-to-find-penpals/
Found this really useful as a prompt as I have just acquired my first pen pal and then suddenly thought “where to start”…..thanks for the inspiration.
I’m so glad, Becks! FYI there’s a second list with 50 more prompts up now: https://uncustomary.org/50-things-tell-penpal/
Hi!
I’m only fourteen and I am starting a penpal program soon. This list really helped me and I feel like I’m going to be close to the person I write to. 🙂
I’m so glad to hear that, Calah!! I really hope you fall in love with sending mail.
Thanks for this list. I just found a pen-pal from Japan. He asked me what I wanted to know about him and I honestly went blank for a bit. This list will help me get started. Thanks so much.
Of course! I’m so glad you found it helpful! Let me know if you have any other questions about the mail system.
Great. Your publishing is appreciated.
So coooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool
So cool
Lol nice ideas helped me when i didnt have any ideas☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺☺
I’m glad, that’s what I hoped for!
Thanks this really helped me . could you also suggest how to end a mail ? like your friend or something like that ? thanks .btw love your website
That’s a really good idea, actually! I’ll write that down on my “to write” list. Thanks!
This is a really helpful list! I’m expecting a letter all the way from America soon, so I’ll definitely use some of these examples in my reply 😀
Great! I’m so glad I could be of service. Good luck with your correspondence with the US!
https://www.penpaland.com recommended !
Great resource! 🙂
Absolutely look over it😀☺
Absolutely love it
Omg! I absolutely LOVE this list! Thank you so much for posting this! I’m writing to a pen pal at my school and she’s in third grade. I began to run out of ideas of what to say, but now that i have found this list, I can’t wait to write my next letter to her! I’m in 9 grade and she’s in 3 grade and I love writing to her! Thanks again for making this list! (P.S i printed this out)
You’re so welcome! and there’s also another list here and a bonus at the bottom of things specifically for children!
Looking for a Mandy to write to off line
Looking for a Pen Pal named Mandy to write too. I also
do snail Pen Paling too
Dear Mandy
do you want to be Pen Pals? I am looking for a Mandy
to write to also Snail Pen Paling too?
Cathryn
Ello mates I would like to say this helped me 😀
Happy New Years
What an awesome list! I’m taking a Facebook break so snail mail is going to help me stay in touch with some of my friends. Love these fun prompts!
Yes! So exciting!!
This is a great resource – so many fantastic ideas here – thank you!
You’re so welcome! Thank you for commenting, enjoy!
great article to know how to talk to pen pal friends .tnx
you can find pen pal friends on citymitypenpals
http://www.citymity.com
This is a very nice website I must say you are great at what you do Uncustomary. This website help a lot of people THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING 👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👊🏻
Aw, you’re very welcome Leonardo! Thanks for stopping by! I hope you’ll stick around.
great site
I agree
is pen pals only able to communicate via letters?
Great ideas
Thank you!
I love sending and receiving letters. It’s been a while since I’ve done that, but I keep the excitement alive by having my students write to pen pals within the city, then we meet at the end of the year for an afternoon of swimming!
That’s so great! Thanks for keeping mail alive!
You can find penpal in here https://www.letspal.com
Having read this I believed it was extremely enlightening. I appreciate you finding the time and effort to put this information together.
I once again find myself personally spending a lot of time both
reading and leaving comments. But so what, it was still
worthwhile!
it is wonderful. so fantastic. i am very glad to see it.
I am looking for pen pals from anywhere. I usually get 2 letters from people and then they stop writing.
I am looking for pen pals from anywhere. I usually get 2 letters from people and then they stop writing because I have an adult son with learning difficulties to look after.
This Post is Mentioned on My Blog – How to Write Your First Pen Pal Letter on amstationery.com
“If none of these call to you, just write about what you are hoping to hear about from them in their first letter. And if you still want some more ideas, check out this list from uncustomary.org of 100 Things to Tell Your Pen Pal, it’s full of great ideas!”
There is also a pen pal match survey for those wanting to find a pen pal.
Thank you for sharing this content. All of these are excellent. I will save it for my pen pal when I am out of topic. This blog is worth reading.