My middle child had a tough time reading. In fact, given a choice she’d probably still rather pick up a sketchpad and pencil versus a book. I tried to tap into her love of writing by doing a joint journal. You can find, like I did, $1 notebooks at Target to start your “journal.” I ask her simple questions about her day, like, “Who did you sit with at lunch today?” or “What was your favorite thing you did today.”
Usually, I slip the journal under her pillow with a pen tucked inside. She answers my questions and usually finds an equally stealth spot to pass back the journal. We went a few weeks going back and forth with our little journal entries. I got a peek into what she was really thinking about; and she had a chance to form stories and ideas herself instead of just struggling to understand them while reading through a book.
I wish I could say we’ve kept up our journal every day, but usually I just dust it off when I feel like she’s slacking off on her reading practice. How about you? Do you ever use writing to get your child more interested in reading?
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I tried this when my daughter was in elementary school. I used to keep a journal and generally find it easier to write about things than talk about them, so I thought it might be a good way to foster communication about difficult topics. It was a no-go. My kid doesn't like to delve into emotions and although she has turned out to be an excellent writer, she wasn't interested in this! I still think it's a good idea though.
ReplyDeleteClever idea. Wonder how it would work with a 13 y.o. girl--the age they want to tell you everything and nothing.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter sounds much like both of yours. You'll notice my questions don't have a lot of emotion. Every once in awhile, she'll write something about how she's feeling, but mostly it's just a fun way to have a conversation back and forth. I think if you were to keep it light, your 13 y-o might be interested.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a wonderful way to connect with your child. My son, Drew, and I used to write together 2 or 3 morning before school. We'd each think up writing exercises and create stories, then read them to each other. That was when he was 10, 11 years old. Now he's 16 and still writing stories--I love it!
ReplyDeleteWould you care to share a few of the exercise ideas? I'd love to try them out too. My kids are always anxious to get to the bus stop, even if there's still 30 minutes until it comes. Maybe we could write.
ReplyDeleteAnd what a nice keepsake for the future. Helping her now and having something special for later.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'll try this with my second-grader whose school day apparently consists of only lunch and P.E. ;-)
ReplyDeleteIt'll be something fun for both of us!