Children love to communicate. And they all have their favorite ways to do it. Some like to chatter endlessly about their day. They’ll tell you all about the games they played and the friends they saw. Other children like to paint you a picture, using colors, shapes, and even glitter. Some children may even act out what they enjoyed with their soft toys and puppets. Few young children would choose to write it down.
To help a child become more efficient and proficient at writing, they must practice. Giving your kids an excuse to write is a great way to encourage them to practice more. Most children love arts and crafts. Creating cards and notelets offer your child the chance to combine his love for crafting with the art of handwriting.
Start with a small selection of colored card. Your son or daughter can carefully fold it in half to create a four-sided card. Decide what the purpose of the card is. It may be a ‘Happy Birthday’ card. Or perhaps it is a ‘We Love You Daddy’ card. Your child can now write those words on the front side of the card. Use a ruler and pencil to create lines if it helps. For very young children, why not outline the letters for them to write over with a pen?
Time for a break from handwriting. Out come the beads, glitter, and crayons! It’s time to decorate the front of the card. When that is complete, it will be time to practice writing inside the card. Talk about the message your child would like. Understanding that writing is just like speaking will help her develop her creative writing too. Again, provide the template needed. Finally, your child can sign their name at the bottom.
A few more decorations on the inside will help finish this lovely little card. Posting it is just as much fun. Talk about the structure of an address on the envelope. You may need to write this to ensure it is accurate enough to get through. If you like to print postage online at onlinestamp.net, it will save you a queue at the post office. All you need to do now is find a post box to send your lovely card.
Doing this once or twice a week is a great way for the kids to start communicating more effectively through their handwriting. It is a hard skill to learn and is a very inefficient method for an imaginative or artistic child to communicate. Ask the recipient of each card to send an easy to read note back through the post. Receiving real post in the letterbox is a true delight for any youngster (and the odd Grandma too!).
Don’t expect this to be a quick activity. But it is a very worthwhile activity to do with the children. Break it up into five or ten-minute chunks per task to avoid fatigue or loss of interest. Keep a good stock of stickers and stick-ons to decorate each card with too. Felt animal shapes have been particularly popular here! Enjoy.
You might also be interested in:
Life as a grandma.. it's no 'quiet, restful days in the rocking-chair'. It's filled with activity, excitement and lots of family fun. Please share it with me.