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PRETEEN CHILD AT HOME Home is a place where you can relax, loosen your shoestrings, leisurely read the newspaper and forget about whatever awaits at work the next day. If only your child were so lucky. Home for your son or daughter, however is just another classroom because the learning and working shouldn’t stop once the school bell rings. As a parent, you play a vital roll in your preteen’s “extra-curricular” education. One of the most essential parts of knowing how to write well is to feel comfortable doing it—and practice begins at home. Below are seven ways to introduce your child to writing. Writing emails. Because the Internet is an ever-growing medium, your child will appreciate the vast information and quick correspondence only the computer can bring. Encourage him to stay in contact with family members and friends through emails. You can help your child obtain an email address from online sites such as www.yahoo.com or www.hotmail.com. Crossword puzzles. There are many crossword puzzle books available for purchase. In addition, many newspapers offer a daily crossword puzzle. Journaling. Begin by letting him or her pick out a journal with lined pages. Avoid journals with dates printed, so your child won’t become frustrated when he or she misses writing for a day or a week. Journaling should be an enjoyable and leisurely writing exercise for your child. If electronic writing is more of your son or daughter’s forte, online diaries are available at websites such as DiaryLand.com, where you can update either public or private diaries using your Web browser. Playing Scrabble. Scrabble is a great tool to introduce vocabulary words and spelling in a competitive atmosphere. Investigative reporting. Create a mystery or leave clues around the house so he or she can follow the trail, while recording data in a notebook. Letters. Sending letters can teach him or her the importance of correspondence and the joy of receiving a letter in the mail. Short stories. This doesn’t have to be something your son or daughter only does at school. Help him or her generate some ideas, encouraging wild storylines and creativity. If your preteen enjoys writing these, you can suggest putting together a book of the stories. By Jessie Wellnitz |
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