Topic: Parent and Writing.

10-second review: Activities parents can do with their young children at home to support learning to read: writing.

Title: “Strategies for Engaging Parents in Home Support of Reading Acquisition.” Sharon Darling. Reading Teacher (February 2005), 476-479. A publication of the International Reading Association (IRA).

Activities for Parents and Children: Writing.

Provide multiple writing materials and tools.

Encourage the child to write his or her name and the names of family members.

Let the child see the parents writing for various purposes.

Ask the child to say words out loud as he or she writes.

Respond to the ideas the child has written.

Encourage the child to write the way he or she talks, and then ask the child to read the writing aloud.

Plan a time and place for the child to write every day.

Comment: One of the best techniques for teaching young children to write is to use “language experience.” You can use large-sized paper on an easel. Begin with a topic. The child dictates a story on the topic and the parent records it. Then the child tries to read back what the parent has recorded. Early training in both reading and writing.

This article is, in my opinion, a gem. It’s a keeper. Good to use at parent-teacher meetings. The comments about what the teacher is doing in the classroom at the same time related to these topics are also very useful. Good discussion starters. RayS.