It is never too early to start a writing ritual. Even if your child is at the pre-writing stage, like Jack is, you can start to shape writing habits. Remember, scribbles are a child's stories. That's the idea behind an activity we created a few weeks ago. We call it "What color was your day?"
We bought a tiny blank journal and placed it bedside along with a little jar of colored pencils. At the end of each day we turn to the next blank page, with the help of a ribbon bookmark, and Jack considers what color his day was. Then he picks a color and scribbles away.
Sometimes it's a combination of two colors, or a couple of shades of the same color. Sometimes the lines are fast and energetic, sometimes they are faint, sometimes they go in all different directions. There is no pressure to communicate any more about his day than this. I don't write any comments over his scribbles. We don't even really discuss it. I want him to realize his marks have meaning in and of themselves. And since it only takes a few minutes he can practice both his pencil grasp and self expression without getting overwhelmed.
It's a sweet, happy little ritual which he has really taken to. I hope he always reflects on the colors of his life and has his own way of documenting them.
For now, his scribbles say so much.
What are your thoughts on writing rituals?
