One of our favorite things about Canopy Life’s sponsorship program is the opportunity for our students to build relationships with their sponsor families! Writing letters is a great way to do that, and our students are blessed to have sponsors who pick up their pens, fancy monogrammed stationary, and laptops to do so often. But do you ever wonder what you should or shouldn’t write about in a letter to your kiddo? Sara Curtis, the sponsorship program lead on Canopy’s volunteer home team, is here to help get you started.
Six tips for writing a great letter to your student:
- Tell about your family. Kenyans place a high value on relationships, so tell your student about yours! Who’s in your family? What do they like to do? Where does everyone live? Do you have special family traditions?
- Share the little things. Don’t underestimate how interesting your everyday life can be to them. Their climate is very different than ours, so tell them about the flowers blooming or seasons changing. What is a typical evening or weekend like for you and your family (for example: a trip to the ball park, an afternoon on the lake, Saturday morning pancakes, etc.)?
- Build a spiritual connection. Share your favorite Bible verse or song, and ask them about what they’re learning.
- Ask questions. Ask about what he or she is learning in school or devotions. Ask about his or her favorite Bible verse, song, food, etc. Following Canopy Life on Facebook and Instagram will help you stay up to date with that our students are learning and will give you ideas of what to ask about.
- Encourage them. Remind him or her that God has a plan for his/her life and that he/she is designed as someone really special. Let your student know that sometimes life can be hard, but he or she can still praise God and find the strength to be nice to others.
- Avoid sharing things that won’t translate. Sending pictures is great, but sponsors should send pictures of people, not possessions (like their houses, cars, boats, etc.). We also ask that sponsors don’t make any promises to students, and don’t offer to send them supplies or money. Sponsors should keep in mind the developmental age of their kids, and use simple language that is easy to read. But no worries, our teachers and American staff are always nearby to help, in case a student has questions.
We want our sponsors to build encouraging, supportive relationships with their students. Our kids get so excited to read letters from their sponsor families, and love thinking of questions to ask and stories to share in return. Not only does it stretch their brains in the areas of comprehension, reading, and writing, but it’s growing their hearts as well, as they build relationships with new friends and mentors across the globe.
To find out more and to sign up for Canopy’s Child Sponsorship Program, click HERE.