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Age group(s) for which this activity is appropriate:
Preschool and Younger
Elementary School
Middle School
High School & Beyond
Describe the activity:
Keep a record of the books your child read or listened to over the summer. Buy or make a scrapbook/writer's journal that will be used to record the titles of books he's read. Kids can draw or cut out pictures related to the story and then describe them with written narration. An older child can write book reviews, too.
Find pen pals (family members in other places, parents at work, e-pen pals) that your child can write to on a regular basis, using traditional pencil (pen)-and-paper writing or email correspondence. Many kids' writing has improved with the availability of email, since they are writing more frequently and enthusiastically! Take advantage of this popular means of communication, but as always, keep your eye on your child's address book.
Be a scribe for your child. Have him make up stories "from his head" which you will type or write down for him. Try doing this at bedtime, when your child is relaxed, or have him make up a story while you're on a walk or in the car. Keep the ideas coming. Have your child "talk stories" into a tape recorder and transcribe these for him (or have him do it himself if he likes) later on. A child might want to do this using a word processor, since he can stop and restart the tape as he types.
Write notes to your child and encourage her to write notes back to you. These can be words which invite other words (like a noun that has to be responded to with adjectives that describe the noun (puppy + curious, noisy, etc.) or adverbs that describe a verb (run + quickly or happily, etc.). Slipping notes under each other's doors at night encourages your child to write back to you in the morning, if you make a "rule" that says no talking about the notes. One father tells of creating a leprechaun-like character who writes to his daughter, who delivers her responses to a special "magic place." This dialogue went on for years! What a wonderful way to encourage writing!
What is the benefit to a child with learning problems?
For kids with mechanical problems with handwriting, exercises that strengthen fine-motor skills during the summer will pay off in the fall. Check with the occupational therapist at school for ideas that are matched to your child's needs (like squeezing a tennis ball or therapeutic putty). In the summer, it's important to keep the process of writing separate from the product of writing. Keep the focus on ideas, not neatness. Try to keep the words flowing!
By Jerome J. Schultz, Ph.D.
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Pregnancy
Activity Rating
