February Spotlight on Literacy for Parents- Children love to share stories about themselves, whether telling how they learned to ride a bike or how they caught their first fish. Photographs can be a great way to help children tell their stories, reminding them of details they might not remember on their own. Have your child write about photos and then choose their favorite sentences for a homemade memory book. Part of learning to write is learning to plan what we write and learning to write sentences about specific topics. This helps children plan and write clear descriptions of pictures before creating stories about their lives. In addition, when children read and write about their own lives they improve their understanding of their families and the places where they live and visit. It can also help get them excited to read and write because the topic is important and interesting to them.
- Encourage children to make thank-you notes or cards for special occasions, such as birthdays and holidays.
- Create a family blog or online photo album, and help your child write blog entries or photo captions. This can help children learn to write descriptively and enhance their computer skills.
Help your child create an illustrated journal or diary. Let the child pick out a special notebook and crayons/markers from the store. Encourage your child to write and illustrate in it on a regular basis. Entries can describe and illustrate things that happened to them at home, in school, or around the neighborhood and how those things made the child feel. For inspiration, check out the book Amelia’s Notebook by Marissa Moss.
