We’re getting ready for Valentine’s Day with a post office unit! Of course, post office activities are also great before Christmas or for a community helpers theme.
Here, you’ll find links to free post office printables used to prepare hands-on activities and a new Montessori-inspired post office pack for our free newsletter subscribers’ resource library! This unit has resources for preschool through early elementary.
Disclosure: This post contains some affiliate links (at no cost to you).
Montessori Shelves with Post Office Themed Activities
Montessori Shelves with Post Office Themed Activities
You’ll find Montessori-inspired post office themed numbers, letters, and and more (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber) Note: The Montessori-inspired post office pack isn’t designed as a complete post office unit but as supplemental materials. I design the packs using realistic images that I’ve often looked for when preparing a unit study (such as font cards and phonogram cards featuring the letter and phonogram related to the theme and math cards with realistic images that fit the theme and can be adapted for math activities at a variety of levels.)
You could mix your post office themed activities among your shelves according to curriculum area. Or you could have a special post office themed area something like the one pictured. My shelves at the beginning of our unit have a mixture of skill levels. Many of the activities can be adapted for a variety of levels. If you’re a homeschooler, just choose the activities that work for your child’s interests and ability levels. If you don’t have room for all the activities you’d like to do, simply rotate them.
Montessori Shelves with Post Office Themed Activities and City Mail Delivery Stamp Print
Notice the framed print City Mail Delivery 5c 1963 issue U.S. stamp (with Norman Rockwell’s City Mail Delivery). The stamp is a free download from Wikimedia Commons.
For our monthly featured art print, I purchased a Li’l DAVINCI art frame that opens in the front for easily changing a free art masterpiece printable or vintage illustration to fit with the month’s theme. The frame can be switched from horizontal to vertical without changing the hanger, which is perfect!
If you’re wondering about the rugs and rug box I use, both the rugs and wooden rug holder are from Montessori Services. I love the Montessori Services rugs and rug holder! I used to use an umbrella stand something like these. I loved that for 1-3 rugs, but I needed something different when I had more grandchildren and some projects that needed more than one rug.
Favorite Shelves, Trays, Baskets, and More for Montessori Homeschoolers
I often get asked about the trays, baskets, etc., that I use, so I published a post with many of the items. You can find lots of helpful resources here. They’re not all essential, so don’t feel you need to have everything. Just choose what’s best for your budget and your unique family’s needs. You’ll find more ideas in the Living Montessori Now Amazon shop
Books for a Post Office Unit
Even though I have books on shelves, I’m now keeping many of my themed books in a forward-facing display after placing a plant where the themed book basket was before.
For toddlers and preschoolers, about ¾ of the books I use are typically Montessori friendly (focusing on reality without smiling or talking animals or smiling or talking vehicles). This unit has more than the usual number of books that aren’t Montessori-style books.
Books for a Post Office Unit
Top Shelf of Themed Shelves:
- My First Trip to the Post Office is a Montessori-friendly book with one or two sentences per two-page spread. It’s great for toddlers and young preschoolers as a read-aloud or for children a bit older as a beginning reader.
- The Post Office Book: Mail and How It Moves is a Montessori-friendly book by Gail Gibbons, an author whose books I often use in our unit studies. The book has lots of easy-to-understand information about post offices and the postal system.
- Mail Carriers is a Montessori-friendly book that has few sentences per page and is an easy read-aloud for toddlers and young preschoolers. It’s a beginning reader for older children.
Top Shelf of Forward -Facing Display:
2nd Shelf:
- The Lost Package
- Richard Scarry’s Postman Pig and His Busy Neighbors
- A Trip to the Post Office with Sesame Street
3rd Shelf:
4th Shelf:
Bottom Shelf
You can see many post office books books here: Post Office Books for Kids (including books as they’re published)
My First Trip to the Post Office Book with Letter Writing Activity
My First Trip to the Post Office Book with Letter Writing Activity
My First Trip to the Post Office is a Montessori-friendly book with one or two sentences per two-page spread. It’s great for toddlers and young preschoolers as a read-aloud or for children a bit older as a beginning reader.
Free Printable: Kids’ Letter Writing Set from Picklebums
Free Printable: Draw Your Own Postcard from Picklebums
These are fun printables to go with a trip to the post office.
The Post Office Book and Post Office Sorting Game
The Post Office Book and Post Office Sorting Game
The Post Office Book: Mail and How It Moves is a Montessori-friendly book by Gail Gibbons, an author whose books I often use in our unit studies. The book has lots of easy-to-understand information about post offices and the postal system.
Free Printable: Post Office Sorting Game (Sort by Number and Sort by Color) by Julia Erin at TPT
There are options in the printable for sorting by numbers 1-10 or color. I don’t have grandkids that need to work on either, but I printed out the color sorting activity for when my now-9-month-old granddaughter is ready to work on color sorting. I didn’t set up the houses with trays behind them to catch the colored envelopes, but it would be easy to set up once the buildings are printed out.
Mail Carriers Book, Figure, and Rhythmic Game
Mail Carriers Book, Figure, and Rhythmic Game
Mail Carriers is a Montessori-friendly book that has few sentences per page and is an easy read-aloud for toddlers and young preschoolers. It’s a beginning reader for older children.
Free Printable: Rhythmic Post Office Game by Michelle Camey at TPT
The mail carrier is from a pretend professional figure set. Although they’re smaller, you could use the mail carrier from the Safari Ltd. People TOOB.
Sand Tray for a Post Office Theme
Sand Tray for a Post Office Theme
Free Printable /m/ for mail carrier font cards, so just sign up for my free newsletter to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber). They come in print, D’Nealian, and cursive.
Free Printable /ai/ in mail phonogram cards (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my free newsletter to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber). They come in print, D’Nealian, and cursive.
You’ll see a variety of simple letter writing trays in my previous unit study posts. I often used the wooden tray from the Melissa & Doug Lace and Trace Shapes. You can use whatever tray or container work best for you, though.
I typically now use this lovely spelling/alphabet tray from FamilyTreeWW on Etsy. I like it for writing more than one letter or spelling words. (Note: That sand tray is currently unavailable, but you’ll find lots of other options for Montessori sand trays on Etsy.) I found some colored sand in 12 colors on Amazon that I started to use instead of salt or colored salt. I love it because it’s so soft and feels great!
The mail carrier is from the Safari Ltd. People TOOB.
If you would like help with introducing phonetic sounds, introducing objects with sounds, or beginning phonics in general, check out my DIY Beginning Montessori Phonics with Preschoolers.
I have a post and video on how to introduce words starting with phonograms, even with very young children.
“er” in Letter Phonogram Work
“er” in Letter Phonogram Work
Free Printable /er/ in letter phonogram cards (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my free newsletter to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber). They come in print, D’Nealian, and cursive.
Free Printable: er Sound with Letters from MontessoriSoul
I’m featuring er for letter as a phonogram for our unit. These activities are very simple to prepare. I simply print out and make booklets with the printables from MontessoriSoul.
I used our double sandpaper letters for er along with the er phonogram booklet. We’ve already covered all the phonograms, so this was a simple review focusing on spelling.
Post Office Beginning Sound and Picture Matching Phonics Activity
Post Office Beginning Sound and Picture Matching Phonics Activity
Free Printable: Stamp alphabet cards (part of my subscriber freebies, so just sign up for my free newsletter to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber).
Free Printable: Post Office Vocabulary by Desert Teaching and Learning at TPT
The alphabet cards in print and cursive are easily adaptable, depending on the child’s level. They can be used for a variety of activities, such as matching letters with sandpaper letters, matching print to cursive letters, or movable alphabet word building.
Mailbox Word Families
Mailbox Word Families
Free Printable: Mailbox Word Families from Totschooling
This is an appealing activity and a fun way for children to practice sounding out words from word families. You can just use one or two mailboxes to start with.
Envelope and Stamp Math Activity
Envelope and Stamp Math Activity
Free Printable: Envelope number cards 1-30 or however many you choose to use (part of my subscriber freebie pack, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password … or check the bottom of your latest newsletter if you’re already a subscriber).
Free Printable: Post Office Dramatic Play Set (includes seasonal postage stamps if you’d like to use free, printable stamps) by The Bear and Bow at TPT
If you’d like to purchase realistic stamps, here are a number of options for vintage postage stamps. These are the stamps I used.
You could have out number cards with numbers you’d like to work on. The child could draw from the cards you choose and then lay out the number cards in order with a stamp on each. Beads from the Montessori bead stair can be used to show the final number.
There are so many different activities you can prepare using the math cards! This is just one example. You’ll find many ideas in our previous units.
Post Office Dramatic Play (on Another Shelf)
This isn’t a Montessori-style activity, but it’s lots of fun and perfect for home use or in day care centers and after-school programs.
Materials for Post Office Dramatic Play
If you purchased the Winter Mega Bundle, you already have the Christmas Post Office Dramatic Play Set by Tia Ludwig of Generation Education. It hasn’t been added to their Etsy shop yet, but I imagine it will be before next Christmas. It’s not free, but it’s a fun 33-page printable. I placed the materials on a shelf, but my grandkids set up the post office in another area.
Working with Post Office They Set Up
11-year-old Zoey and 6-year-old Caleb set up the post office using the printable set. Zoey and Caleb were the postal workers, and 7-year-old Sophia was their customer!
Having Fun at the Post Office
Even 9-month-old Arabella joined in! She especially loved the mail truck! Everyone had a great time!
You’ll find other fun post office dramatic play sets to purchase on Etsy.
Free Printable: Post Office Play Set (includes design your own stamp template) from Picklebums
Free Printable: Post Office Dramatic Play Set (includes seasonal postage stamps) by The Bear and Bow at TPT
Free Printable: Post Office Script by Smiths SPEDtacular Students at TPT (Description: “This script is perfect for students that are visiting the post office on a community-based instruction trip purchasing stamps to mail a letter. The visuals help with students who are non readers or nonverbal.” The printable has images and says: “I need one stamp, please.”
Free Printable: Dramatic Play Post Office Printables by The Reyes School House at TPT isn’t as thorough as the set from Generation Education, but it’s a free version.
Free Montessori-Inspired Post Office Pack
Montessori-Inspired Post Office Pack for DIY Cards and Counters, Number or Letter Matching, Number or Letter Basket, Bead Bar Work, Hands-on Math Operations, Number or Letter Salt/Sand Writing Tray, Letter Tracing, DIY Movable Alphabet, and Creative Writing (subscriber freebie, so just sign up for my email to get the link and password – or check your inbox if you’re already a subscriber).
More Mail-Themed Resources
Free Heart Printables and Montessori-Inspired Heart Activities {Human Heart and Valentine Hearts} (has a mailbox activity)
Sweet Valentine’s Day Sensory Bin with Practical Life and Math Activities
If you’d like ideas for calendar-based themes throughout January and February, see my January Themed Activities for Kids and my February Themed Activities for Kids.
Have fun learning studying the post office!
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