My husband and I have been sponsors with Compassion for about six years. During that time, I’ve heard a lot about the importance of writing letters to our sponsored kids.

We even have a friend now who was once a child in the Compassion program, and he’s spoken about the importance of sponsor letters to him. I know writing to my sponsored child is important, and I do it pretty often, but sometimes I’m just stumped about where to start.

I decided to draft a list of specific questions that would help me explain my life and myself to a sponsored child.

Of course, if our child asks questions, I answer them. But I’ve found that children don’t always have the skill to carry on “conversations.” Giving them information about me is a good place to start.

These prompts are questions for you to answer about yourself. Expand on the answers, as space permits, in a letter to your sponsored child. Enjoy!

Your Childhood

1. What activities did you enjoy as a child?
2. Who was your favorite teacher? What was the teacher like?
3. Whom did you admire as you were growing up? Why?
4. How did you get your name? What does it mean?
5. Did you grow up in church? How did you come to know Jesus?
6. What was a challenge you had to overcome as a child or teenager?
7. What was your favorite part of school?
8. What was your least favorite part of school?
9. What happened during a typical school day?
10. What was your first job like?

Your Life Today

1. What is your typical day like now?
2. What do you do at church/work/school?
3. What do you like most about your hometown?
4. What are some interesting facts about your state/province/region?
5. How do you relax?
6. What’s your favorite holiday? How would you describe the sights, sounds, smells, tastes?
7. What’s your biggest challenge at the moment?
8. What other human understands you better than anyone else? How did you come to know this person?
9. What are you learning right now?
10. What’s one of your favorite Bible stories or passages? Why?