Everything on this page is free to use
Below are four things you can copy, print or handwrite tonight: a dummy fairy letter (UK wording), a paci fairy letter (US wording), a bravery certificate, and a short note for the fairies to leave a sibling. Take them, change the names, and use them however you like. No email required.
The letter is the part children go back to. Long after the gift has been lost under the sofa, the letter is still on the fridge — and on a bad night, being read the letter again does more than almost anything else you can say. So it’s worth getting right, and it’s worth being on paper.
Before you write it: five things that make a letter land
- Use their name at least twice. Children check for their own name first and everything else second.
- Say how many dummies there were. “All eleven of them” is the detail that proves the fairies were really there.
- Mention the box. If your child decorated one, the fairies noticed. Say which bit they liked — the stickers on the lid, the glitter, the drawing on the side.
- Name something only the fairies could have noticed — the blue one with the chewed edge, the one that lived in the car.
- Tell them where the dummies went, in a way that closes the door. Ours become stars. A star can’t be given back, and it’s still theirs.
- Say the hard nights are allowed. This is the sentence parents skip and children need. Missing it doesn’t mean they’ve done it wrong.
Practical bit: write it small, on small paper — a scrap torn along one edge beats a full sheet of A4. Tea-stain it if you’re feeling committed. Use your non-dominant hand or write in a colour you never normally use, because a surprising number of four-year-olds recognise their parents’ handwriting.
Make your letter
Type your child’s details in once and all three — the letter, the certificate and the morning-after note — fill themselves in together. Then print, or copy the words and write them out in your own hand.
Write it now, print it tonight
Fill this in and the letter, the certificate and the morning-after note all fill in with it. Nothing is sent anywhere and no email address is needed — it never leaves this browser. Print it, or copy the words and write them out by hand, which is better.
★ ★ ★
From the fairies at the bottom of the garden
From the fairies at the bottom of the yard
Dear their name,
Thank you. We came to your garden last night, just after you went to sleep, and we found the box exactly where you left it. We think it is the most beautiful box anyone has ever made for us — especially the bit you liked.
All how many of them were inside. Even the one you nearly missed. You didn’t miss a single one.
We know how much you loved them. That is why they make such good stars.
Tonight, when it gets dark, look out of your window. The brightest one you can see is yours now. It will be there every night, even when you are asleep, even when you forget to look.
Some nights you might still wish you had a dummy. That’s allowed. It doesn’t mean you weren’t brave. It means you loved them, and that’s a good thing to be.
We left you something, for being so kind to us.
With love from the garden,
Ditch
the do-do fairy
Dear their name,
Thank you. We came to your yard last night, right after you fell asleep, and the box was exactly where you left it. We think it’s the most beautiful box anyone has ever made for us — especially the bit you liked.
All how many of them were inside. Even the one you nearly missed. You didn’t miss one.
We know how much you loved them. That’s what makes them into such good stars.
Tonight, when it gets dark, look out your window. The brightest one you can see is yours now. It will be there every night, even when you’re asleep, even when you forget to look.
Some nights you might still wish you had your paci. That’s okay. It doesn’t mean you weren’t brave. It means you loved it, and that’s a good thing to be.
We left you something, for being so kind to us.
Love from the garden,
Ditch
the do-do fairy
★ ★ ★
Certificate of Great Bravery
This certifies that
their name
gave how many dummies to the garden fairies on the date,
entirely of their own accord,
and is now the official keeper of one star.
★ ★ ★
★ ★
For the morning after a hard night
their name — we saw. Last night was a hard one, wasn’t it.
We wanted you to know that your star was watching the whole time, and it did not go out once. Not even when you cried. Stars are like that.
Hard nights are part of it. They get further apart. We promise.
Still yours,
Ditch
the do-do fairy
Print on the smallest paper your printer will take, then tear one edge. Fairies do not own scissors.
The dummy fairy letter (UK)
Dear [NAME],
Thank you. We came to your garden last night, just after you went to sleep, and we found the box exactly where you left it. We think it is the most beautiful box anyone has ever made for us. All [NUMBER] of them were inside — even [THE BLUE ONE / THE ONE FROM THE CAR]. You didn’t miss a single one.
We know how much you loved them. That is why they make such good stars.
Tonight, when it gets dark, look out of your window. The brightest one you can see is yours now. It will be there every night, even when you are asleep, even when you forget to look.
Some nights you might still wish you had a dummy. That’s allowed. It doesn’t mean you weren’t brave. It means you loved them, and that’s a good thing to be.
We left you something for being so kind to us.
With love from the garden,
Ditch 🌙
(the do-do fairy)
The paci fairy letter (US)
Same letter, American wording. Swap “paci” for “binky” or “soother” throughout if that’s the word in your house — a binky fairy letter, a paci fairy letter and a soother fairy letter are the same letter with one word changed, and the binky fairy, the paci fairy, the soother fairy and the do-do fairy are all the same fairy. Use the word your child actually says; that’s the detail that makes it land.
Dear [NAME],
Thank you. We came to your yard last night, right after you fell asleep, and the box was exactly where you left it. We think it’s the most beautiful box anyone has ever made for us. All [NUMBER] of them were inside — even [THE BLUE ONE / THE ONE FROM THE CAR SEAT]. You didn’t miss one.
We know how much you loved them. That’s what makes them into such good stars.
Tonight, when it gets dark, look out your window. The brightest one you can see is yours now. It will be there every night, even when you’re asleep, even when you forget to look.
Some nights you might still wish you had your paci. That’s okay. It doesn’t mean you weren’t brave. It means you loved it, and that’s a good thing to be.
We left you something, for being so kind to us.
Love from the garden,
Ditch 🌙
(the do-do fairy)
The bravery certificate
Write this out on the nicest paper in the house, add a date and a star, and put it somewhere they can see it from floor height. Children ask to have it read to them for weeks.
★ ★ ★
Certificate of Great Bravery
This certifies that
[NAME]
gave [NUMBER] dummies to the garden fairies on [DATE],
entirely of their own accord,
and is now the official keeper of one star.
★ ★ ★
The second letter (for the hard night)
This one is the secret weapon and almost nobody thinks of it. Keep it written and hidden. If night three goes badly, it appears on the windowsill in the morning.
[NAME] — we saw. Last night was a hard one, wasn’t it.
We wanted you to know that your star was watching the whole time, and it did not go out once. Not even when you cried. Stars are like that.
Hard nights are part of it. They get further apart. We promise.
Still yours,
Ditch 🌙
Making it look like it came from a fairy
- Small paper. Tear it rather than cutting it. Fairies do not own scissors.
- Tea or coffee stain, then dry it flat under a book for an hour.
- Roll it and tie it with a single strand of wool or a blade of grass.
- Leave it slightly damp with dew if you put it outside — a letter that has been out all night should look like it.
- Scatter a few grains of “dust” near it, and disturb them slightly, as if something small landed and took off again.
Want it already printed?
The Dummy Star Kit has all of the above laid out properly on aged paper — both letters, the second letter, the certificate, a colouring sheet and the bedtime story — as a print-at-home PDF, or posted to you on real card with a keepsake box and fairy dust.
Questions parents ask
Do I need to give my email to get the fairy letter?
No. The full wording for all four letters is on this page, free to copy, print or handwrite. The paid kit is the same wording laid out on aged paper — you are buying the evening of preparation, not the words.
What should a dummy fairy letter say?
Use your child’s name at least twice, say how many dummies there were, name one detail only the fairies could have noticed, say where the dummies went in a way that closes the door, and tell them hard nights are allowed. That last line is the one parents skip and children need.
How do I make the letter look like it came from a fairy?
Small paper, torn rather than cut. Tea-stain it and dry it flat. Roll it and tie it with a strand of wool. Write in a colour you never normally use, or with your non-dominant hand — a surprising number of four-year-olds recognise their parents’ handwriting.
What is the second letter for?
Write it in advance and hide it. If night three goes badly, it appears on the windowsill in the morning — the fairies saw, the star did not go out, and hard nights are part of it. It is the single most useful thing you can prepare ahead.
Can I use these letters at a nursery or preschool?
Yes. The letter wording, the certificate and the bedtime story are free to print and use with the families you work with. Get in touch if you would like a bundle of printables for a setting.
Not sure how the whole thing works yet? Start with The Dummy Fairy Method (UK) or The Pacifier Fairy Method (US).