One military spouse created a way to connect military kids the old fashion way through a mailbox and handwritten letters.
The art of letter writing is a dying practice, especially with young Americans. With the ever increasing dependence of instant communication like email, texting, and social media – handwriting letters seem laborious and outdated. But one military spouse wants to change that.
Air Force Spouse and mother of two, Brunella Costagliola, believes most children want to write and receive letters in the mail. She’s convinced it can foster better reading and writing skills, but also build better connections for military children who experience high mobility. She’s created a military kid-friendly letter writing kit that can help bond kids across the globe.
“Our family PCS’d through the pandemic. It was a very isolating time for my children, like many other military kids out there. School was virtual, there weren’t many opportunities to meet friends, and I was really unhappy with the amount of screen time my kids were experiencing. I knew I had to do something,” explains Brunella.
Her solution was Milkid Mailkit, a simple but clever letter writing program exclusively for military-connected kids. Currently, you can sign up for free to receive more information and pre-order will open soon! The boxes will be launched for purchase at the end of 2021.
Milkid Mailkit includes special artist-curated stationery, stamps, envelopes and pens. Also, in the Milkid Mailkit box is a list of pen pals who Brunella has personally matched with each child. She matches kids with interests and ages from around the globe. On the website, parents are able to sign up their military kids as part of the pen pal programs.
“Security and privacy are our number one concerns. I have two children in the program, so I understand the concerns. We match only verified families,” says Brunella.
There is a nominal fee for the kit and different packages to choose from. But each child will receive special stationery designed by Valerio Mazzoli, a Disney theme park designer and creator. A special dandelion flower has been placed within the artwork to represent the life of military kids.
Brunella says this activity is perfect during PCS moves.
“There is nothing more satisfying as a parent than to see your children run to the mailbox every day in anticipation of a letter. Then when the letter arrives, it’s pure joy! They dash inside, then they are off to respond to their new friend, writing sentences, practicing handwriting and asking questions.”
Moving to a new community can be lonely at times. Making new friends during a pandemic is not ideal for military kids either. But military kids seem to be ready and open to new friendships, especially other military kids. With Milkid Mailkit, the joy of receiving a surprise envelope from a new friend may be exactly what a military kid needs – a good old fashion pen pal.
To find out more about how military kids can start their pen pal journey, visit their website at Milkid Mailkit. Or email Milkid Mailkit at [email protected].
