Why not encourage your child to keep a journal/diary during the summer months? Your child could write about the activities he/she is involved in – or maybe chronicle a family vacation. I would suggest getting a notebook which interests your son or daughter. I’ve noticed my students are carrying around really nice journals their parents have possibly bought from the book order or maybe at Target, Walmart, or a book store. They LOVE writing in them, where they aren’t always excited about writing for school. I would suggest this is a great time to have your child concentrate on CONTENT and VOICE. You could check occasionally for mechanics, but don’t discourage your child with correcting them to death – encourage creativity. Your children could even write stories in their journals/diaries.
This might also be a time to buy your son/daughter pens (which they usually can’t use in school). They really think pens are awesome for some reason.
Whoa – maybe you could even keep your own journal and share what you are writing with your child occasionally. Maybe even make some mistakes to see if they notice (-:
Have fun and write up a storm this summer!
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June 11th, 2008 at 9:58 am
I think journals are a great idea to encourage kids to write. I know I had journals from about fifth grade on (all of which are now hidden away in boxes, hopefully never to be looked into again) and they are probably what helped me develop a strong voice in my writing, not to mention provided much-needed sanity during the years of puberty.
I still journal almost excessively. There’s something about it that’s just wonderful and fulfilling!
Great suggestions. Pens are awesome.