Write Away!

            As soon as your toddler is able to hold a crayon, and you can understand what he tells you he is drawing, get him a journal.  Try to encourage correct grip on the writing instrument from the beginning (practice makes permanent).  After an outing, ordinary or special, ask your child to write a story about it.  When very young, he will just scribble.  Ask him to tell you his story.  Write the words of his story (even if you just label each scribble he has drawn).  Read it to him, pointing to the words as you read.  Ask him to “read” his story to you often, helping him point to the words you have written.  Encourage “story writing” as often as you can.  Eventually, the scribble turns to actual pictures, then to pictures with letters, and ultimately to pictures with words and sentences.  Do not wait until he is “old enough” to write.  If you are worried about crayon on your walls, put him in the high chair to write and put the crayons away when he is done.  No matter how young your child is, reading and writing go together.  So start writing, right away!