Make someone happy. Write each family member's name on separate sheets of paper. Add a note or a drawing to each sheet — for example, "I like the way you make breakfast," or "You make me happy when you do the dishes." Fold the sheets and put them in a bag and shake. Ask each person to choose a paper from the bag. Place the notes where they can be found by family members. At the end of the day, talk together about the notes.
Play a writing game. Make a family game of discussing a special issue — for example, "Teenagers should be allowed to vote," or "There should never be any homework." Ask youngsters to think of all the reasons they can to support their views. Then, ask them to think of reasons against their views. First, ask for these pros and cons orally. Then, ask youngsters to write their views on paper. Read these aloud, discussing and comparing them. Which views are most convincing? For variety, assign family members to teams and have teams prepare their arguments pro and con.
Looking at Advertisements
Take a closer look. Help your children improve their thinking and writing skills by looking more carefully at newspaper, magazine, and TV advertisements. What is the main point of the ad? What details does it use to communicate its message? For example, a strong, handsome man holding a soft drink in an expensive car with a beautiful girl at his side is telling us something about the soft drink.