Oct 07 2008
Storytelling and Reading
A lot of references I’ve found recommend writing down things your child says. It shows them that you think what they have to say is important enough to record. I’ve found this to be true. When I try to get ideas out of my daughter, she has a lot more to say when I have a paper and pencil in my hand than when I don’t. She lights up with importance when I, as my daughter says, “write down my words”.
Another tip I found, was to write down stories that they tell, and then let them read them back to you later on. Even though the words may be tough to read, they are, like Hanna said, her words. Her spoken vocabulary far outstrips her reading vocabulary, so she often needs help to re-read her own stories, but at least she’s familiar with them.
We’ve done this twice so far with limited success. The first time, she really loved the idea, and ‘read’ her story to everyone she ran into for the next few days, although it was clear she had trouble with many of the words. When I asked her if she would tell me another story, she was thrilled to, but firmly told me I was not to print it out. She didn’t want to read it to anyone – it was too hard.
“How about if I read it to you?” I asked.
“Sure!” she literally bounced.
So that’s what we’ve done so far. We also cut and pasted some pictures, and I even coaxed her into drawing a few so we could turn her stories into little books. I laminated the pages and bound them with a simple comb binding. Even if she doesn’t feel comfortable reading them alone yet, she still takes pride in them, and I expect, as her reading confidence grows, she’ll enjoy these projects more and more.
As a writer and storyteller myself, I have to say at this stage I’m probably loving these writing projects more than she is!
