Perhaps your little one has a strong desire to emulate Postman Pat...or maybe just your local Postie...but whatever the reason, this DIY role play Postman mail bag tutorial will have them playing messenger and delivering handwritten letters in no time! Better still, the bag only needs 5 key resources to be complete! Excellent for encouraging mark making in the Early Years and ties in well with the topic 'People Who Help Us'....
Disclosure: This is a collaborative post but all thoughts and opinions are my own
Children LOVE to role play and act out scenarios from real life. One of the most constant 'people who help us' figures in every day life will be the local Postman or Postlady. Enabling your child to re-enact this role by providing them with a Postman messenger mail bag and some resources inside to write and make marks is a fantastic way to encourage early literacy in a fun way!
These Postman bags also make fab home made gifts, and are REALLY EASY to make yourself.
Here is what you'll need:
Things you will need to make the Postman Mail Bag:
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- Red canvas material - the heavier/more stiff the better
- Flourescent ribbon or tape
- Velcro dots
- Black woven ribbon for the shoulder strap
- Glue Gun and glue sticks
If you are looking to bring your role play area to life even more, you may also be interested in these free online design resources.
How to make the Postman messenger bag:
Cut your canvas material to your desired size depending on the age and size of your child. You will need a long rectangle strip which can be folded over to make the messenger style mail bag with enough left over for a 'flap' to close.
Before sticking the sides of the postbag together, attach the luminous ribbon and strap so that the ends can be folded over and hidden.
Lay your reflective ribbon across the bag at the back towards the bottom and cut to size, leaving enough to fold over the edges. Use your hot glue gun to attach the ribbon. Do a small section at a time and stick down rather than gluing the whole piece and attempting to place it in the right place! Repeat with the ribbon on the front of the bag on the fold over.
Cut your black to strap to size (again, depending on the height of the child) and using your glue gun, glue the ends to the inside of the bag, underneath the top flap fold.
Finally, apply a thin layer of hot glue to each outer edge of the bag to stick the sides together.
Apply a velcro dot to the inside of the fold over flap, and on the opposite side, to help close the bag.
Voila! Your Postman mail bag is complete!
Now you could stop there, or you could make some reusable felt envelopes for inside your postal worker mailbag too..
Resources you will need to make the felt envelopes for the Postman Bag:
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- Red felt sheets
- Yellow embroidery cotton
- Large eye stitching needles
How to make the red felt envelopes for the mail bag:
Similar to the postman mail bag, the envelope requires a long rectangle strip of felt, folded over in the same way, but with the edges of the 'flap' snipped at an angle to create an envelope.
If you are not keen on stitching, then you could use your hot glue gun to glue the edges of this envelope in the same way that you glues the postman's mail bag.
I chose to stitch the edges with yellow embroidery cotton as it looks much more authentic and is slightly more robust when working with felt.
I used a needle with a large stitching eye for the cotton to fit though, and stitched around the edges as in the photo below.
To finish this off, I added a velcro dot as a 'fasten' to keep the envelope closed.
Hint: Add hot glue to the velcro dot to keep it tuck down. Although they have their own adhesive, it can easily pull off felt because of the loose fibers.
Other Resources for the Postman Mail Bag:
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I have created a list above of some resources you could include in your mail bag, including stamps and a transparent wallet to keep them in, address stickers, notelets and post it notes.
The postbox pen and London street stickers pictures were from our local Paperchase store - I haven't yet located an alternative but I will update this post if I find one!
If you are looking for more postman role play ideas then Nicola from Mummy to Dex has a short video exploring a Post Office Early Years Subscription box here.
How can this Postman role play activity tie into the EYFS development matters and framework?
Characteristics of Effective Learning:
Playing
and
Exploring
Finding out and exploring:
•Engaging in open-ended activity
•Showing particular interests
Playing with what they know:
•Pretending objects are things from their experience
•Representing their experiences in play
•Taking on a role in their play
•Acting out experiences with other people
Personal, Social and Emotional Development: Making relationships
•Can play in a group, extending and elaborating play ideas,
e.g. building up a role-play activity with other children.
Communication and Language: Speaking
•Uses language to imagine and recreate roles and experiences
in play situations.
Literacy: Writing
•Gives meaning to marks they make as they draw, write and
paint
Understanding the world: People and communities
•Shows interest in different occupations and ways of life.
Expressive arts and design: Being imaginative
•Engages in imaginative role-play based on own first-hand
experiences
• Introduces a storyline or narrative into their play
Enjoy Early Years Role Play? Would you like more ideas??....
Sarah x
More home made project ideas here:
