By A.K. Karos
With COVID-19 hopefully allowing us to get back to a normal life (3rd times a charm!), we find ourselves trying to remember what life was like prior and how to get back to the world we once knew. But things have undeniably changed. Did we always stay in and stream movies? Some vaguely recall going out to this place that was infused with the intoxicating scent of buttered popcorn, anxiously awaiting the deafening THX logo. Now movie theaters are trying new features to make the movie experience exciting and new. Like the new 4DX experience where your chair moves along with the action in the film for a more immersive and multi-sensory cinematic experience. Movie theaters are trying to bring customers back by making the experience fun and new. Can we do the same thing with our children?
Fun "Write" at Home
Transitioning our kids back to the classroom has come with challenges. In March of 2020, many of our kids said farewell to their teachers and schools and were thrust to a desk or kitchen table at home, to sit in front of a computer and listen to their teachers conduct class via one of the many different video conferencing platform. Our schools did all they could to keep our kids moving forward, and we will forever be grateful, but one important skill paid the price, writing.
"Write" not Wrong
We all thought the shelter in place order was only going to last a few weeks. But those weeks turned into months and then finally a year. I was happy that my son was able to continue his education from home, but while my second grader was in a battle with the computer trying to figure out technology, arithmetic, and science, I noticed a significant decrease in his skills off the computer. His neat handwriting became more illegible than a doctor writing a prescription. My boy, who had won a Barnes and Nobles story contest, suddenly didn’t want to pick up a pencil to write a sentence. It wasn’t fun anymore and became a chore. Writing should invigorate the imagination. When children find something fun, they’ll want to do it over and over again, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
The "Write" Direction
I’m not alone in this. I’ve spoken with numerous parents of elementary school kids who saw a
decrease in not only their child’s writing skills, but also their love and drive to put words to
paper. So, what can we do? Some friends of mine are spending extra money for tutors to help their child catch up to where they need to be. While this could be a fantastic way to get the one-on-one help needed to bring their child up to speed, not everyone has the money to hire additional assistance. I will be sharing some free exercises and ideas here and in my email newsletters, which you can subscribe to by going to www.akkkaros.com.
"Write" On!
One of my hopes for this blog is to help bring out that love and drive for writing in children. Some of the exercises and ideas I share on here may not ignite your child’s spark to write for the first time, but I will be sharing different techniques and ideas for children with different habits and learning styles. Keep checking in and trying the different activities and feel free to share your experiences.
Click Link Below
To get your child’s imagination cogs working, here’s a worksheet packet to start creating their
own monster. Try to have them write as many descriptive words as possible.