On The Write Track

In this age of electronic and wireless communication, the fine art of putting pen to paper to write

Mudpuppy Press

First and foremost, we need to provide them with the right (write) tools. In addition to the literacy skills of proper form and spelling that they learn at home and in school, they need great writing and creative supplies — papers, cards, journals and other accessories — to stimulate their imaginations and make it fun. We can help cultivate the

Peaceable Kingdom Press

“Kids get really excited about things that are visually exciting,” remarks JoAnn Myer, an educator in the North Plainfield, NJ, elementary school system. And if they are excited about a notecard, a journal or a pen, they are more apt to find ways to use them.

But visual appeal alone will not keep kids engaged; it has to be fun for them. “Products that allow artistic freedom turn writing into a creative activity that parents and children can do together, rather than it being a chore.” observes Cynthia Matthews, creative director of Mudpuppy Press, New York.

In the formative years, that parent-child interaction is so important. “When kids are little, parents need to

American Girl

Therefore products have to capture the interest of not only the kids, but their parents, as Mia Galison, creative director of eeBoo, New York, notes, “Moms are always looking for great art and writing supplies to help their kids develop their creativity and to help them express themselves.”

U-ey Cards by Shane Estock

“With all the computerization and Web activity of kids from the time they are in preschool, it is an important objective to help kids appreciate the meaning of hand-written messages and letters,” comments Maureen Gallagher, sales manager for Galison/Mudpuppy Press, New York. Here, too, parents — and grandparents — are instrumental in the process.

“I think it is a huge plus, when kids actually get mail,” observes Myer. “If they write a card or letter to Gramma, and Gramma writes back, it gives them frame of reference [of the connection between writing, sending and receiving mail].

Galison concurs, “Grandparents send letters and kids love it.” She has overheard her own kids remark, “It's so nice to get a letter.” And seeing that someone has taken the time to write to them, inspires them to write back.

Lipstick Shades

 Probably a child's first introduction to letter-writing is the thank-you note. This starts around the age of 4 or 5 when the youngster is just learning to write some words and their names. “The basic thank-you is a key way for kids to begin to learn to write. The fill-in-the-blank type is fine for the really young and saves time for the parents,” says JoAnn Myer. “But as they get a little older, it is vital that they learn to put their thoughts into their own words, and it is more meaningful to the recipient.”

But it also has to be meaningful to the child and not made to seem like a chore. Having special notepaper of their own helps. “We sell more personalized stuff for kids than anything (always obviously guided by the moms. No kids are ever coming here saying 'Boy, I want this stationery!'),” remarks Amy Hawking, Little Shop of Papers, Barrington, IL. “We carry a line from Embossed Graphics that has a line for kids with little motifs — maybe a flower or something — that the little kids go for, but once you get them past 7 or 8, they want nothing to do with that, they just want their name [on the paper].”

As for those fill-in thank-yous, “One thing that I have noticed,” Hawking continues, “we used to have so many [of them], but now we sell less and less. That category has definitely dropped. It makes me think that the moms are making them actually write out sentences.”

eeBoo

In the primary grades there is still a focus on letter writing, according to Myer. Classes start with thank-you notes and graduate to writing pen-pal letters. While any piece of paper will do, when the letter is written on their own stationery, and perhaps embellished with stickers or their own drawings, it becomes a more personalized communication.

“I also encourage kids to keep a journal (I don't use the term 'diary' because it's too 'girly' a term for the boys' comfort),” Myer notes. As a teacher, she believes it is important for children to “find their own voice.” Both journaling and letter-writing help the kids to understand that “writing is like having a conversation on paper” whether you are writing to yourself or to someone else.

And kids seem to take to the idea of keeping a journal as a record of their private thoughts and daily experiences. “For younger children, diaries are an appealing way to express themselves, while older children gravitate toward blank journals and more sophisticated products,” notes Matthews.

“They do seem to like journaling,” remarks Hawking. “We sell journals and notebooks, mostly for the pre-teens and teens. My own son actually kept a journal when we went to Europe. He wrote in it on the train as we traveled. I was really impressed. That is a strong category.”

Mia Galison concurs, “We have a series 'The Little Book of [blank].' My kids love them because they can make them what they want — a travel journal, a diar

Chronicle Books

So where does a retailer start to capture the kids' writing business? “It starts at the birth. Mom is going to send out birth announcements and also buy as many thank-you notes for the gifts she will be receiving,” advises Hawking. “Once you've got them, they're going to be back for the baby's 1-year birthday party invitations and get the thank-yous for that.” And they will keep coming back as the child grows; and as children get older, they will begin to make their own choices.

Whether it is through the little social courtesies of thank-you notes and letters, or keeping a journal, as old-fashioned as it may seem in this modern age of computers and electronics, there will always be a power to writing words down on paper. And the more special the paper, the more impactful the message.