Each week over the summer I will post a Tuesday Tip on how to encourage learning through play. Read my recent blog post to learn more about how free play supports deep learning.
Do you remember pen pals? Do you remember how much fun it was as a child to receive a letter in the mail (I still enjoy that feeling). Well, what about encouraging your child to practice their writing skills doing something they enjoy?
Encourage your child to write letters to friends, family members, or choose a pen pal. The pen pal does not have to be someone in another country (as I recall them from childhood). The pen pal can be a neighbor, a friend, a cousin or a grandparent. The pen pal can live across the country or across the town from you.
Don't worry too much about your child's grammar and spelling and more about the process of sitting down and writing a letter for the sake of writing. You can even send post cards while on vacation!
Through this activity your child will not only practice her writing skills, but she will practice her communication skills, and learn ways to maintain personal connections. You can also teach your child about how the postal service works, how to address letters and where to mail letters.
The key tip for making this activity a successful one (one that your child enjoys and learns from) is to let your child take ownership over it. Let your child decide:
1) When they want to write the letters
2) To whom they will write the letters
3) What to write and
4) How much to write
Let your child address the envelope, put a stamp on it and put it in the mail.
Letter writing is a wonderful way to keep up literacy skills over the summer as well as a fun (and tech-free) way to keep in touch with friends and family.
Encourage your child to write letters to friends, family members, or choose a pen pal. The pen pal does not have to be someone in another country (as I recall them from childhood). The pen pal can be a neighbor, a friend, a cousin or a grandparent. The pen pal can live across the country or across the town from you.
Don't worry too much about your child's grammar and spelling and more about the process of sitting down and writing a letter for the sake of writing. You can even send post cards while on vacation!
Through this activity your child will not only practice her writing skills, but she will practice her communication skills, and learn ways to maintain personal connections. You can also teach your child about how the postal service works, how to address letters and where to mail letters.
The key tip for making this activity a successful one (one that your child enjoys and learns from) is to let your child take ownership over it. Let your child decide:
1) When they want to write the letters
2) To whom they will write the letters
3) What to write and
4) How much to write
Let your child address the envelope, put a stamp on it and put it in the mail.
Letter writing is a wonderful way to keep up literacy skills over the summer as well as a fun (and tech-free) way to keep in touch with friends and family.
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