Activities Page Four

Home Preschool Curriculum
Developed by: Community Collaboration for Four Year Olds
School District of La Crosse

Journaling With Your Child's Pictures

When your child draws a picture ask him, "What can you tell me about your picture?" In the beginning he will probably just label the things he has drawn. Later he will tell a story. Be sure to write what your child says word for word. This helps him to understand that what he says can be written down and later read. As the journaling progresses ask your child more questions about his drawings. This will encourage your child to include more details in his journaling. Over time your child may want to do some of the writing.

Making a Book - Children love to make books of their own. You can use any kind of paper that you have at home. Construction paper makes a nice cover. After your child has completed the book, staple it together or punch homes in the side and put it in a notebook. To get started:

Ask your child to tell you a story or to tell you about an experience such as going to the park.

This is your child's story so write down exactly what your child says.

Repeat the words as you write them. This will help your child realize that you have written his/her exact words.

Write just a few words on each page so there is plenty of space left for your child to illustrate the story.

Your child will enjoy "reading" this new book to family and friends.

Stages of Children's Writing

Educators look at writing differently than they did a generation ago. The things that young children seem to do naturally when given paper and markers are now viewed as true forms of writing.You will see your child go through the stages listed below during their preschool and elementary years.

There are at least seven different stages of writing:

Drawing - Children draw and "read" their drawings as a form of communication. They may draw an unrecognizable form and say, "I played in the home center today with my friends." Or they may draw a treelike form and say, "This says remember to take me to the park."

Scribbling - Young children believe they are writing when they scribble and often "read" what they have just scribbled. Children often will move the pencil like adults, making their scribbles from left to right.

Random Letters - As children become more aware of the alphabet, they often write the letters in long strings, usually at random.

Invented Spelling - Invented spelling takes many forms but is related to the sounds the child hears in each word. At the beginning of this stage, children may write one letter to represent one word. Later, words are represented by two letters, the initial and ending letter sounds. As the child's writing continues to mature, most sounds are represented in their invented spelling.

Common Spelling - The child begins writing more and more words spelled as adults spell.

Conventional Spelling - The child begins writing as adults do.