Letter to Santa template for KS1 and KS2
Write your letter
Finish each sentence in your own words. Tap a picture to add its word.
Dear Santa,
- My name is
- I amyears old.
- This year I have been kind when I
- I am proud that I
- For Christmas I would love
- because
- I will leave you
- Love from
Wishes
Being kind
Winter
Your letter is not saved. Nothing you type here is stored or sent anywhere. It stays on this page only until you close or refresh it, so print it when you have finished.
Each sheet prints on one A4 page. To keep a copy, choose “Save as PDF” in your browser’s print window.
For grown-ups: the KS1 and KS2 letters, the reply, tips and questions
What your child practises: writing for a real reader: a greeting, news from their year, a wish with a reason, a question and a sign-off. National Curriculum, Year 2, Writing – composition: “writing for different purposes”.
A free letter to Santa template in two versions: sentence starters, picture words and a box to draw for KS1, and a whole letter with an address, paragraphs and a sign-off for KS2. Fill it in on screen or print it blank, and print a reply from Santa for a grown-up to fill in. Nothing typed is saved or sent.
The KS1 letter: sentence starters, picture words and a picture
The KS1 letter is a frame of short sentence starters for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2. Your child finishes each sentence in their own words, so the letter has a shape before they begin and every line is a small, finishable job. Tap a picture to add its word to the line they are on, and leave space at the bottom to draw.
Children who are just starting to write can say each sentence out loud first while a grown-up writes it, then copy one line themselves or trace over it. The “Read the starters to me” button reads every starter aloud, so a child who cannot read the words yet still knows what each line asks.
An example KS1 letter
Written for this page to show the frame in use, as a Year 1 child might fill it in. It is not a real child’s letter.
Dear Santa,
My name is Maya.
I am 6 years old.
This year I have been kind when I helped my little brother tidy his toys.
I am proud that I can read a whole book by myself.
For Christmas I would love a book about dinosaurs because I love bedtime stories.
I will leave you a mince pie, and a carrot for the reindeer.
Love from Maya
The KS2 letter: the features of a letter
The KS2 letter is a whole letter for Years 3 to 6, laid out the way a friendly letter should be. It works as a short writing lesson in December: the features below are the ones children meet when they learn to write letters, and a letter to Santa is a real reason to use them.
Each paragraph has a hint and a few tappable starters. Encourage your child to use a starter to get going and then write the rest in their own words, and to read the whole letter aloud before they print it, checking that each paragraph is about one thing.
- Your address and the date
- At the top right, one line each: the house number and street, the town and the postcode, with the date underneath.
- A greeting
- “Dear Santa,” on its own line on the left, with a capital letter for each name and a comma after it.
- Paragraphs
- A new paragraph for each idea: about me, a story from my year, my wishes, my question. Each one starts on a new line.
- A friendly tone
- This is an informal letter to someone the writer knows well, so it can be chatty, and contractions such as I’m and can’t are fine.
- Reasons and questions
- Give a reason for each wish with because or so that, and ask the reader something, to show the letter is a conversation.
- A sign-off
- Love from, Best wishes or Your friend, with a comma, then the writer’s name on the line below.
- A P.S.
- A postscript after the name, for something remembered at the end. It starts with P.S.
An example KS2 letter, with its features labelled
Written for this page as an example, the way a Year 4 child might write it. It is not a real child’s letter, and the address lines are left as labels.
Greeting Dear Santa,
Paragraph: About me Let me introduce myself. My name is Sam, I am eight years old and I love football, drawing and reading comics under the covers with a torch.
Paragraph: A story from my year The moment I am proudest of this year was the swimming gala in the summer. I was nervous on the starting block, but I swam a whole length without stopping and my team cheered so loudly that I forgot to be scared.
Paragraph: What I would like, and why This Christmas, I would really love a sketchbook and some proper drawing pencils, because I want to make my own comic. If it is not too much trouble, I would also like a cosy pair of slippers for my grandma, whose feet are always cold.
Paragraph: A question I have always wondered: how do the reindeer know the way when it is foggy? Do they have a map, or do they follow the stars?
Sign-off Love from,
Sam
P.S. P.S. I will leave a carrot by the back door for the reindeer.
A reply from Santa, for grown-ups
The reply sheet is for a grown-up to fill in and print. It follows the same shape as your child’s letter, so the reply answers it: a thank-you, one kind or brave moment from their year, a word about their wishes, an answer to their question, a hope for the new year and a P.S.
Each part has a few ready lines to tap in. Change them so they fit: the details your child wrote about are what make a reply feel like it was written just for them. Keep the part about wishes open, so the reply never promises a present. You can print the reply blank and write it by hand instead.
Not doing Santa? Write to someone you love
Not every family does Santa, and not every child in a class celebrates Christmas. Choose “Someone I love” at the top of the letter and the frame changes into a winter letter to anyone: a grandparent far away, a friend who has moved, a cousin, or a favourite neighbour. It keeps the same writing: news from the year, something they are proud of, something they would love to do together and a question.
In a mixed class, offer both letters as equal choices and let every child pick without explaining why. The reply sheet works the same way, signed by whoever writes back.
Tips for parents and teachers
- Talk first, then write. Say the letter out loud together before anything is written down. Younger children especially write more, and more happily, when they already know what each sentence will say.
- Kindness before wishes. The letter asks about the year before it asks for anything. Give that part time: talking about a kind or brave moment is the best bit of the letter, and it gives the reply something to answer.
- Ask “why?” A wish with a reason is a better sentence. For older children, because and so that turn a list into writing.
- Let it be theirs. Correct one or two words at most, and let a young child’s spelling show what they can do. A letter to Santa is meant to look like the child wrote it.
- Type or write by hand. Typing on screen helps a child who finds handwriting tiring, and the blank sheet is for handwriting. Both print on one A4 page.
- Keep it. Put the date on it and keep one letter each year. Read them back together in a few years’ time and see how much the writing has grown.
- For school displays, use first names only and leave home addresses off anything that goes on a wall.
In the National Curriculum
“saying out loud what they are going to write about”
Year 1, Writing – composition (statutory)
“writing for different purposes”
Year 2, Writing – composition (statutory)
“Introduction to paragraphs as a way to group related material”
Year 3, English Appendix 2 – Text (statutory)
“organising paragraphs around a theme”
Years 3 and 4, Writing – composition (statutory)
“identifying the audience for and purpose of the writing, selecting the appropriate form and using other similar writing as models for their own”
Years 5 and 6, Writing – composition (statutory)
About this page
How it works · Sources
Sources
The quotations in “In the National Curriculum” are copied word for word from these documents, with the year and section each applies to. The letter frames, picture words, reply lines, example letters and tips are Litsee’s own.
How it works
The letter and the reply are filled in in your browser. What you type is kept only in this page’s memory while it is open: it is never saved on this device or anywhere else, never sent, and it clears when you close or refresh the page. Print it, or choose “Save as PDF” in the print window, to keep it.
Last updated: .
Questions parents and teachers ask
What should a KS1 child write in a letter to Santa?
A few short sentences are plenty: their name and age, one kind thing they did this year, something they are proud of, one wish with a reason, what they will leave out on Christmas Eve, and “Love from” with their name. A picture counts as part of the letter too.
What are the features of a letter for KS2?
The writer’s address and the date at the top right, a greeting such as “Dear Santa,” a new paragraph for each idea, a friendly tone, reasons and a question for the reader, a sign-off such as “Love from,” with the name below, and an optional P.S.
How do I write a reply from Santa?
Use the reply sheet: thank your child for their letter, mention one real moment from their year, say something about their wishes without promising a present, answer their question, add a hope for the new year and a P.S., then print it. You can also print it blank and write it by hand.
Is there a version for families who don’t do Santa?
Yes. Choose “Someone I love” at the top and the letter becomes a winter letter to anyone: a grandparent, a friend or a cousin. It keeps the same writing, and the reply sheet can be signed by whoever writes back.
Is anything my child types saved or sent?
No. What your child types stays in the page’s memory while it is open: it is not saved on your device or anywhere else, it is not sent to Litsee or anyone else, and it clears when you close or refresh the page. Print the letter, or save it as a PDF, to keep it.
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