Writing with your child

Reading is so important to a child but so is writing. When you record words and children see words in their world this sets them up to write these words down. It is important to have pencils/crayona/pens/markers around plus great wads of paper. Kids love at first to pretend they are writing. They will make scribbles, lovely flowing arches or dots and dashes to simulate words. Try taking a few simple words and have them trace over the letters. Point at some familiar object and have them say the word it represents then you record the word. Leave a few lines and then have your child print the word underneath your word. Free-style writing of jibber-jab is normal so let your child have fun. Have them draw a picture and then say to them, "write some words or a sentence underneath to tell me what your picture is about." Encourage their writing skills as well as their reading skills as words/letters/sentences/paragraphs and stories start to have meaning for them. Don't make a big deal about spelling errors at first. If your child is a little older you can even take some of those misspelled words and make a personalized dictionary with the correct spelling for later use. Be creative. Make it non-stressful and fun! Reading and writing go together like two peas in a pod. Read on. Write on.