Literacy Tips

Handwriting
Teach your kids handwriting

1. Find a pen, crayon or pencil that they like, in a color they like. Show them how to hold it - not too high up. Write sitting down. Steady the paper with your other hand.
2. Kids often learn to write before they can read! Encourage this by showing them how to write their names or the names of friends and family.
3. Kids probably don't see you hand-write very much, so let them see you writing whenever you can. Show them when you write checks or shopping lists. Stretch out the sounds of the words when you ssss-pe-llll them.
4. Check out our area. Use our coloring pages as letter stencils, and print the special letter guides we have for little letters and big letters.
5. Help them label pictures they've drawn.
6. Copy letters or words from books or newspapers. Practice upper and lower case. Try to avoid letters where the letters are hard to write: the letters "a" and "g" should be the simpler, less-curly ones. Many letters are simply balls and sticks, circles and lines.
7. Have kids write name place-labels for everyone who will be sitting down to eat breakfast or dinner.
8. Encourage your kids, and don't be harsh if they make mistakes.
9. Spend time to sit and write with them. To help, you could draw lines on paper or buy writing strips from a stationery store. Have them copy you, letter by letter. Practice, practice, practice - with lots of praise for effort.

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Dear Diary...
How even the littlest kid can keep a real diary, even for just a day

1. Choose a notebook that fits your kid's needs and tastes. You can use a special journal, a lockable diary or just any old notebook. Gather up some favorite writing utensils. Different colored pens or pencils can be used to write about different subjects.
2. Choose a time to let your kid dictate to you (or write, if he/she's old enough). Try to write regularly; once a day, once a week, as often as you can but within reason. Also, if your kid is not yet writing, remember that drawing and scribbling are valid.
3. Make and decorate a title page for the journal that makes the notebook special.
4. Record the date, time, location, and/or weather for each entry.
5. Kids should write only about what matters to them; their most memorable events and thoughts and feelings about those events. Let them know they should not feel compelled to record every single detail of their lives.
6. Have your kid keep a box of souvenirs and record their significance in the journal; or paste small objects (movie tickets, newspaper clippings, odds and ends) in the journal. Make copies of important photos for them to keep in their journals.
7. Help them to find a special place to write so that they enjoy writing and feel more relaxed; make the experience a special time.
8. Suggest that they find a safe place for their journal and let them know that they only need to show the journal if they feel comfortable. Make sure your kid never throws out the journal. You'll all look back on it when they're older.
9. Encourage them to think about their lives by recording details, to use all of their senses to capture reality as they feel it.
10. Need some inspiration? Here are some things to write about: family, a day-trip, a friend, a pet, today, or something imaginary.

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