My son just turned four, and, like many four year olds, he loves coloring, drawing, and writing his name. For a while I struggled with what to do with all the papers we had lying around our house with scribbles, people, shapes, and W’s all over it. Save it…pitch it… The sentimental part of me says KEEP EVERYTHING, it is part of his journey as a child. The organizational part says IT’S TAKING UP TOO MUCH SPACE!
So mommy mode went into teacher mode and my solution was to get my little guy his own writer’s notebook, just like the kids at school. I can’t believe how much fun we’re having. (We actually have about 3 different notebooks going at this time). Every day he wants to “write” or draw, I encourage him to use his notebook. Every page he writes or scribbles on has the date so we can see his progress.
I’ve let him pick out his notebook, he has a Toy Story one, and two different composition notebooks he likes to use. If you plan on trying a notebook at home, make sure your child is involved in the process. Allow them to choose a notebook and let them decorate it with stickers or drawings to really make it personal. Also, this should be fun, so give your child an opportunity to experiment with a variety of writing tools: pencils, crayons, markers, colored pencils, and fancy pens. hat freedom gives way to creativity and expression.
He loves tracing right now, so I might write his “big name” and have him trace the letters. Some days we talk about shapes, I draw a shape and he traces it and then colors it. Some nights, I get special requests, like draw the Mickey Mouse Choo-Choo Express Train, so I draw and he colors. It isn’t always structured like that though; sometimes he just wants to draw. He likes drawing pictures of people he knows, and on a page that may look like just scribbles, he can tell you exactly what everything means.
My hope is that as he gets older, he will continue to enjoy using his writing notebook. It serves so many valuable uses for us in our home and is an easy way to look back and see what gains he has made. Not everything can go in the notebook of course, for the other stuff, I have a folder with different activities that he can choose from, and then once they are finished, they go right back in the folder. No papers everywhere.
Remember to keep it age appropriate. I don’t expect my four year old to write his numbers to 100 and write complete sentences, but he can practice forming letters correctly (again, not expecting perfection) and not making his W’s take up an entire page. Any experiences you can give your young children with writing are good experiences. Make sure to talk about what they’ve written or drawn at any age, this is good practice for adding details and creativity. Plus, if they are beginning writers you may not understand anything they’ve put on their paper.
Sometimes, as teachers and parents, we struggle with a child that doesn’t like to write. I’ve found that when kids are given more freedom about what they write about, they are more likely to enjoy it. At a young age, getting them to have an interest in reading and writing is so important. Make that time special; sit down at the table with them while they are working. Model and practice what being a good writer looks like; pencil grip, sitting up tall, etc. You can even have your kids help you make the grocery list. If they are younger, use pictures to help them identify the different items you will be shopping for.
If you encourage your young readers and writers, they will be more excited about learning. Don’t forget to celebrate milestones in their writing notebooks, like the first time they write their name unassisted or a special picture they drew. Be proud of their accomplishments no matter how small they might seem.
As a teacher, I can honestly say that the involvement of a parent in their child’s learning is absolutely vital in their success. We can’t do it without you!
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