Ideas for “Open When” Letters for College Students

A couple of years ago my youngest daughter graduated and headed off to college. She followed her older sister to a campus nearly a thousand miles away from our home. I was so excited for the adventures they were about to have, but I knew I was going to miss them. So I created a series of open when letters for college students, as a surprise for when they moved into their dorm rooms.

Open When Letters for College Students

What’s an Open When letter? It’s actually a series of envelopes or small packages designed to be opened at a specific time. Typically, these are packaged with both a message and a small gift. A quick Pinterest search will net you a lot of inspiration for theme ideas. You can check out my inspiration board, or use the list below to create your own open when letters for your college student! I chose a decorative box to package all of their letters, and left it on their dorm room beds just after we moved them in, and as we were leaving.

My Own Open When Letters

I searched for ideas for the letters I created for my girls, and I used those inspirational links to spark ideas of my own. These are some of the letters I created:

• Open When You Move Into Your Dorm. (This was the first envelope, with a letter explaining the letters that would be coming
• Open When You Need Some Peace and Quiet. (ear buds with a notebook and pen for doodling)
• Open When You Need a Break with Your Friends. (gift card for local burger joint)
• Open When It’s Cold. (hot chocolate mix packets)
• Open When You’re Bored. (iTunes or Nintendo gift card)
• Open When You’re Stressed. (bubble wrap and tea tree soothing face mask)
• Open When You’re Sick. (Get Well Card, Kleenex, Ramen Chicken Noodles and Alka-Seltzer)
• Open When You’re Tired. (Gift card for pizza delivery)
• Open When You Need a Little Sparkle. (Earrings and bling stickers).
• Open When You Have a Sweet Tooth. (Favorite non-chocolate candy).
• Open When You’re Having a Bad Hair Day. (Hair ties and scrunchies).
• Open When You Finish Your First Day of Classes. (This one was personal to us. I included a note about how I used to hit McDonald’s after class in high school, and how I used to take them to get french fries after school when they were in elementary. It’s a little sentimental for our family.)
• Open When It’s Gray and Cloudy. (Sunshine greeting card and Juicy Fruit Gum).
• Open When It’s Your Birthday! (Gift card for local bakery for cupcakes).
• Open When You Miss Your Squad. (A collection of notes from high school and church friends to open when they felt homesick).
• Open When You Need Some Space. (Flash Drive for computer storage).
• Open When You Need Your Mom. (Gift card for coffee and a note to give me a call.)
• Open When You Need Your Dad. (Letter from my husband with a collection of photos of the two of them together).
• Open When You Don’t Know What To Do. (Skinny Slimline New Testament with verses highlighted).

Sending Your Senior Off to College

So it’s a little scary sending your kids off to college, and knowing they’re mostly on their own. I channeled a lot of my fear and anxiety about letting go of my girls into creating a fun way of connecting with them once they were gone. What kinds of things would you put into an “open when” letter for your college student? Drop a comment below so I can add to the list!