Raising Writers

In this issue of Babybug, Kim helps Mommy with a shopping list. In another selection, a little girl creates a card to mail to her grandmother. What do both toddlers have in common? They’re writers. Both are beginning to find a way to express their thinking by making marks on paper, which is precisely what writers do.

Remember when your baby began to babble? Someone in the family probably said, “He’s starting to talk!”  Even though the sounds weren’t recognizable as words, you knew they were a form of talking.  It’s the same thing when your toddler begins to move a crayon around on paper.  Just as a baby who babbles is beginning to talk, a child who scribbles is beginning to write.

Think of your child as a writer; treat your child as a writer.  It is, in fact, exactly what he or she already is.

Write Together

Here is a list of what some writers say they need in order to work.  Your young writer has the same needs.

Every writer needs the right tools.
•    Something to write with: crayons, markers, chalk, and eventually pencils.
•    Something to write on: Round up a generous supply of paper of all sizes and colors. The younger the child, the larger the sheet of paper he will need.
•    Something special to keep it all in: maybe a decorated cardboard box, or a special shelf.
Writing tools don’t have to be expensive. Just available.

Every writer needs freedom to experiment.
When writers (toddlers or adults) are encouraged to experiment, they feel free to try new ideas, take chances, and not worry about the “right way.”  Writers who can experiment want to keep trying. Writers who are afraid of being wrong will be in a hurry to get it over with.

The pressure to do something according to adult standards when you are still a child can make learning a burden rather than a pleasure.  Give your children the freedom to experiment: to scribble, to revel in a vista of changing lines and curves and swooshes and stops. They’ll stay with it longer and learn more.

Every writer needs interaction with other writers.
You’re the most important “other writer” in your toddler’s life, the person he or she most wants to be like.  You don’t need to write novels to inspire a young child.  Making a grocery list or jotting down instructions for the babysitter will do.

Here’s something to do often: Gather your child onto your lap or have him or her snuggle up next to you when you have something to write.  Say the words out loud as you write them.  It only takes a few seconds, but it helps your child associate the act of writing with warmth and closeness.

Play Together

Encourage your toddler to use crayons and markers by scribbling right along with him.  How many scribbling places can you think of?
o    Big sheets of paper taped to a table or on the refrigerator
o    Flattened cardboard boxes
o    Paper grocery bags, cut open and spread on the floor

Painting with water helps children learn to control a brush, another early writing skill.
o    Use water and a small brush to paint rocks, shells, twigs, and other items from nature.  
o    Watch the colors change as they become wet and then dry again.

Play Dough

In the selection “Play Dough,” the children are not only having fun, they’re exploring color, shape, texture, and size as well as strengthening the muscles in their hands and fingers. A fresh batch of home-made playdough can brighten a dark winter afternoon. Try this do-it-yourself recipe!

Uncooked Play Dough

4 cups flour
1 cup salt
4 tablespoons cream of tartar
2 cups water (add a few drops of food coloring if you'd like)
3 tablespoons cooking oil

Children enjoy mixing this with their hands in a large bowl or plastic dishpan. Store in covered container.