Many of you have asked about the larger pieces of mail that you send your sponsored child. The correspondence team processes this mail and they really go above and beyond to make sure your mail makes it safely to the children.
Suzanne works on our correspondence team and has graciously offered some tips on how to make sure we can process the larger mail pieces you send to us:
- Include your sponsor number and child number (not just the name) on your letter. This lets us send the letters right away instead of setting the package aside for research that can take up to two weeks.
- Be sure to also include your sponsor number and child number on the back of pictures, stickers, etc. in case they fall out of the envelope during processing.
- Use staples instead of tape to attach your pictures. Sometimes the humidity in other countries renders the tape useless.
- You can send musical cards. It’s not only your sponsored child who enjoys musical cards – our correspondence team likes to dance to the music too!
Feeling low on creativity about what larger mail pieces to send to your child?
That’s OK — I feel that way sometimes too. But I’ve found some really cute ideas for things you can send your child. Enjoy!
- Have a calendar made for you.
- Create a photo notepad.
- Create and print your own photo calendar:
- Make a pocket mini-book:
- Create a small table-top calendar:
- Cut out and send a paper-star garland:
Lastly, one of our Advocates, Yvonne, suggests tracing your hand and sending the cutout to your sponsored child. Include extra paper so your child can trace his or her hand and send it back to you:
You could even make something like this with the hands:
What paper items have you made to send to your sponsored child? Share your ideas with other sponsors in the comments below!
I’ve done the “I love you this much” hand craft before. It was so fun!
I love the paper garland and “I love You” hands! Super cute. What material can we use to connect those paper stars together? I recently made and sent paper dolls and really cute drawing tutorial booklets covered with nice scrapbook paper: http://www.printabletreats.com/child-sponsorship-gift-ideas/ – The drawing tutorial booklets are really easy to put together and you can make them into small journals too.
THANKS for that link!!! I can’t wait to make these for my little girls in Ethiopia, Ecuador and Indonesia!
How fun seeing my daughter’s picture on the blog! We have received two of the traced hands back from our sponsored kids so far. We were so excited when we found them in our letters!
I thought we couldn’t use staples or any kind of metal fasteners in letters…?
According to our Child Correspondence team, you may use staples to fasten your letters together. Thanks for checking! -Susan
Just to review we are still not able to metal items such as a metal book mark or metal ornament. However, staples on paper items are fine. -Susan
I have traced my hand, colored it in all kinds of colors, put my picture on the page too and said, “I think of you as I pray each day!”
I designed a Bible verses “cootie-catcher” that anyone can download, print, fold, and send: http://familiar-little-frog.blogspot.com/2012/12/things-to-send-sponsored-children-bible.html
I loved these things as a child and I think they are still enjoyed by all children! Thank you so much for an incredible idea!
I have inserted pictures onto the letter which I have saved online in format to match the letter forms that come with childrens letters. I also send post cards, photos, pages from coloring and activity books, bookmarks, scripture cards, etc.
Is the thread/string in that star garland allowed? I LOVE IT but want to make sure it’s OK?
A paper garland that fits the size guidelines (8 1/2″ x 11″ x 1/4″) but is tied together with string or ribbon is fine. We will also send small pieces of ribbon. It’s just large quantities of ribbon that we can’t send. Our goal in these guidelines is that the country office in each country won’t have to pay customs taxes on an item. If an item could be considered saleable, they could charge customs on it, usually more than what the item is worth. We want to be as economical with the sending of these items as possible so that more of the money we are stewards of can go to helping children in poverty. -Susan
So if I cut two pieces of a simple ribbon that my sponsored girl can use to tie back her hair in pigtails, is that okay? They would only be about 9 inches long.
Hi Steph! As long as the ribbon is in small quantities, it is fine. If we are unable to send an item, we will email you to notify you. -Susan
I sponser a 7 year old and would like to send her a book. It fits the measurement guidelines. In your comment above you mention being saleable. Would this fall in that catigory? Nancy
One of my kids especially loves pictures of my pets! I always send pictures of my dog and guinea pigs to him and love making collages with the pictures and including anecdotes about them!
I think the hand is a great idea, especially if you have a big hand. A friend of mine played JAWS in the Bond films and he gives his autograph that way. He traces his big hand on a sheet of paper.
Whenever I go to the centers, the kids always want to put their hand against mine and enjoy how much bigger it is. I’m 6.5
These are awesome ideas! I’ve been hesitant to send other stuff, worried that it wouldn’t be approved or would make extra work, so it’s great to know these are all fine. We will definitely be making the pocket book. We once made small boxes from greeting cards at an orphanage in Mexico. The kids were so thrilled to have a place to keep little treasures they’d been storing in a crack or corner. These pocket books would be a great place to keep pictures and letters.
I was very surprised to read this article. Has it come from the Australian office? We’ve been told that extra items have to be flat & not thick; book marks shouldn’t have tassels; stickers shouldn’t be embossed etc; items need to pass through customs as “stationary” so only flat stickers, flat greeting cards, flat pictures, post cards & photos are suitable. Some of these suggestions don’t fit into those categories! Please advise & clarify. Thanks
I just found what I was looking for – this has come from the/a U.S. office of Compassion. I think rules & suggestions from the Australian Office may differ!
I didn’t realize we could send thick items like calendars! Are there any size limitations?
Hi Tammy! Yes, there are size limitations. All items need to be no more than 1/4 inch thick and no more an 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches but many small calendars fit these limitations. -Susan
Thanks so much for these great ideas.
I have sent my sponsored child a bookmark with a Bible verse in her language, I was able to get the verse online and bought the bookmark with her name and the verse on it. I also like to send stickers and colour in pages.
Thanks again for the inspiration
Are there further restrictions to Haiti or would all of these ideas work for paper products, staples and the like to that country?
Hi Donna! All of these guidelines are the same in Haiti.Thanks for asking! -Susan
My 3 kids like to think of creative things to send. Often we have sent their drawings, but they also thought of sending paper snowflakes and paper airplanes.
I used the picture that Compassion provides and had a caricature drawn of my sponsored child playing soccer (his favorite sport) with his country’s flag in the background.
I get together with a group of ladies to write letters each month to our kids. Everyone is so creative and here are some ideas from our group:
1. Puzzles: We buy 24/50/100-piece cardboard puzzles, put them together, use Press and Seal on the front and back so they won’t come apart in the mail, and put them in a manila envelope. If they are too big for the envelope, we’ll split them in two and put them in two envelopes.
2. Magic Color Scratch Shapes: You can buy these at Oriental Trading Company or Hobby Lobby in all kinds of shapes. We tell our kids to get a stick or rock to make their designs.
3. Origami kits: most of these come with picture instructions so our kids can follow along and make them. Or we send origami that we have made.
4. Fun Notepads (1/4″ thick)
5. Blank Notecards: so they can give them to their friends
6. Paper folders with animals or sports on them (like you’d take to school)
7. Paper dolls (each month we’ll send them different clothes)
8. Postcards of where we have been or where we live
9. Snowflakes (we live in Colorado, so these are fun to send when we talk about getting snow).
10. Stickers that we print with their names on them (so they can use them for notebooks, etc.).
11. Baseball cards
12. Blank scrapbook paper so they can make their own crafts
Hope these ideas help!
Are paper dolls now accepted for Rwanda? I sent several paper doll books about 1 1/2 yrs ago and they told me they could not ship. I was so disappointed, they said the books were given to a local needy child. So what type of paper dolls did you send? Thanks!
Hi Elizabeth! We can send paper dolls. If the paper dolls are in a book, the book must be under a 1/4″ thick and no more than 8 1/2″ by 11.” The guidelines and what can and can’t be sent sometimes changes so feel free to check this list if you are ever in doubt: http://www.compassion.com/letter-writing/tips-for-mailing-small-gifts.htm -Susan
Hi Tracy, Just curious as to where you have found origami kits? We have 2 girls I would love to send them to but have not been able to find them at the craft stores. Thanks! Debbie
Those are great ideas. I think the best thing that you can send is photos of you and your family…. That’s what they want to see….. They love you!!!
Thank you Suzanne and Compassion for the endless ideas and support so that we may continue to minister and support our sponsor children through small gifts and letters with words of encouragement and love.
cool, I will use some of these ideas, I just got started about 2 days ago, and I am soooo excited to sponsor a child!
I sent my kid a woven paper heart. I’m not very crafty but it was easy. Here is the link – http://gingerbreadsnowflakes.com/node/28
I glued a picture of me and one of her onto the heart so that she can always see how God holds both of us in His heart.
This just completely burst my bubble…
I was hoping to send my kids things like soccer balls and CDs and books for them and their siblings and care pkgs. for the whole families… Is there any way to get stuff like that sent to them?
Ok new thought … Is there a way to email music to someone who is there and have them burn a cd to give to my kids?
Even if they could (not sure they can or can’t) I don’t think the kids would be able to listen to the cd. not so sure how common cd players are. by the way if you want to help out your child you can send extra money and that goes directly to the family and gets them extra school supplies and food and other stuff they may need. it’s good to see your caring heart. im only 17, so not everything i say may be right, but it may be helpful. the important thing is you keep sending letters and encourage their faith in God. that’s the best gift you can give them
umm…i’ve heard a couple different things. is it okay to send puzzles? i have one that i would be sending in two different envelopes cause its big but it is made of cardboard and under the 1/4 inch thick requirement. it does have sparkles on it if that makes a diference. so can i send it?