After Miriam’s great blog entry on journal writing, I’d like to take the next step and challenge everyone to encourage their children’s self-expression. Think your kids are too young? Hence the challenge!
Last summer, while my kids were 5, 3 and a half, and 18 months, I decided that my older two were ready to create a journal of their very own. My daughter had just started reading and writing, and both kids love to color. Since I also homeschool, I thought a journal would not only be an excellent way to teach the kids young to follow the counsel of the prophets, it would also be a great way to encourage them to write and to express themselves.
Our first journals were simply pieces of paper stapled together. I counted out 30 pieces of blank paper for my son, and printed 30 pieces of first grade-style lined paper for my daughter. Then I stapled the edges together to make a book.
The journals were a hit (okay, my son decided his was a ‘diary’, but you know what I mean). I gave my daughter hers and told her she could write down whatever she wanted. It could be about what she did that day, what she wanted to do, or what she was thinking about. There were only about three lines on the paper, enough for one sentence, and she loved to write “My best friend is…” Sometimes it would be me or her brother, sometimes it would be her church friend, Sadie, and sometimes it would be a completely random person she interacted with that day.
Since my three year old was not yet writing, I gave him permission to dictate his journal. The lines were completely random – “Today I played baby bird” was one of my favorites.
The writing for both was done on the right hand side of the page, while the left page was left free for the kids to color (their favorite part).
Once we ran out of pages in the simple journal, I decided that we needed a bit more organization. I picked up wide lined notebooks for both kids to write in, which means I won’t have twelve journals a year for every year they are writing. This seems to work fairly well.
Now that my son (four this month!) is learning to write and spell, he wants to write in his own journal. He hasn’t quite evolved into sentences yet, but his word lists are fun. An important part for me was to stay positive. Errors were acceptable; the journal, after all, is for them. The one exception I made was after six consistent days of misspelling ‘friend’ for my daughter; we made up a song to help both kids remember the word, and they still love to sing it. Still, I wasn’t negative, I simply taught them a new song, and then reminded her beforehand.
For awhile, we were consistent in writing; we wrote nearly every day after naptime, while the baby was still asleep. Things have been insane since we moved over the holidays, and we are still adjusting our routine, but I try to encourage them to write on Sundays at the very least.
After only six months, it is amazing to me as a mom to go back and look at how much their writing and drawing talents have evolved. I can only imagine how much they will enjoy looking at the journals when they are in their teens and twenties.
In the meantime, I guess I’d better start shopping for a journal for my two year old to dictate to me….
Some excerpts from my kids journal:
Dawn, age 5: “i went to the zoo I sa lions tiger and a seal.” (then a labeled picture of a lion, a seal, a flmingo, and an elefont).
“Today went to the park. We had fun at the park. I like parks becaes the ecwitment is grate!”
Michael, age 3.5 (dictated): “We’re having a new baby! I am excited to have a new baby. Jimmy will be a big brother. I’m going to teach him how to be the best big brother, like teaching him to hug his little baby brother or sister. If it’s a girl, I want to name her Emma and play with her kindly. If it is a boy, I want to name him John and play with him so nice.” (He didn’t draw a picture but instead made pictures of his letters)
Related Articles:
Helping Your Children Keep a Journal
Primary Time: Challenge Your Child to Have Personal Scripture Study