July Blog - Independence and Imagination

Part 1- Writing - "How Writing Builds Independence in Kids"

Hello July and Happy Independence Day! 🇺🇸 The Summer is officially here and most of us are trying to find ways to keep cool and enjoy all the fun of these hot days. Keep in mind, just because it's a break from school doesn't mean we should take a break from writing, reading and math/science activities.

One of the best things any youngster can do to foster independence and imagination is to practice writing or journaling iun school and at home. Putting a favorite pen to paper, whether it be a fancy notebook, looseleaf paper, memo pad or a diary with lock and key, seeing their own words on paper inspires the mind to keep going. It can lead to developing a healthy habitr for the brain each day.

My earliest writing started in elementary school, as mentioned in my previous blogs, and it began a life long love of using thoughts, ideas, and questions and creating interesting topics that kept me asking and wondering about so many things. Using a diary every day helped me to work through those challenges that sometimes prevented me from focusing on my goals.

Encouraging your child to be an independent writer or story teller is easier than most think possible. Young children love to talk about what they know, how they did something special and who they spend their time with in all these activities. Parents, when your child seems to want to talk about these experiences, simply ask them to write down a few sentences that tell what they did. For example, if your child did an experiment in science with a partner, have him or her write out the beginning, middle and end with sentence starters like:

"Today we made a tornado in a bottle in science. First we, ...(describe

what took place first.) Next we, ... (tell what happened after that first

step to show a change took place) then, ...conclude with the result of the

first and second step causing the result.

Guiding your child by prompting questions to recall their day's work often helps them to remember more than what took place so they will naturally want to write more.

If you have a creative youngster who will enjoy a game using "fill in the blank" style of writing, similar to those Mad Libs books I grew up with back in the 70's, this may inspire them to create their own stories for fun and pleasure. Here's a sample of how to use a fill-in-the-blank writing prompt with your child:

"I know there was something different when I walked into the ___________ and saw the _____________ on the _____________."

Once your child gets started on this exercise, they will be able to make their own stories and share it with others.

Here is a sample printable Story Planning Sheet to use for your own:

Part 2 - Education -"Freedom to Explore: Self-directed Learning Activities

Many Students have known the traditional ways of learning when classrooms use rubrics to guide them in making decisions on how they will do their work, both in school and at home. In order for students to learn more independence in gaining experience writing, researching and execution of projects, one approach to having students become self starters is to explore the benefits of a self-directed learning module which can include project-based ideas that empower kids to love learning.

Self-directed learning is when students choose their own topics, investigate methods for developing the research using a variety of sources and tools they select for themselves and prepare the findings in a completely organized way that enables them to teach it to others. It is focused on students learning a new skill and using the methods needed to be able to reach their audience through their newly found skill.

While self-directed learning is not necessarily for every student, especially those who may have special needs with an IEP, it can be a way to explore giving students the skills to, not only gather information and prepare material accordingly, but to assess their own work and reflect on their performance. It is important to note that this type of activity should include topics that may not align with a student's interests so they can be prepared to learn new skills and information they may otherwise steer away from.

Being motivated to learn is the take away here so teachers or parents of homeschoolers who choose this project will need to emphasize the goal as they discuss engaging topics for students to examine.

Helping students become independent learners through these types of activities will foster long-lived goals that will be effective in other aspects of their lives such as being a leader, having strong decision-making skills and having an open mind to new ideas.

Dates to Remember: July 7-13 is National Summer Learning Week which is perfect for exploring new ways to learn and share ideas with others.

Part 3-Parenting - "Fostering Independence While Staying Connected"

Summer fun and spending free time in different routines can be challenging as we are adjusting to new schedules and hours outside of school. For those families with two working parents, single families, those with grand parents or child care providers taking the "wheel" during the day to help the parents balance life, it can be overwhelming to plan and execute time for activities while allowing independent decisions to take place by your child as they grow and mature.

Creating simple tasks which allows each child to feel a sense of independence and navigate their time to learn, play and rest is very important to their growth and well-being.

Setting realistic schedules for learning, playing and resting shows children that life happens whether we plan or not, but can be better when we set daily and weekly goals to keep us on track.

• Mornings after waking are usually good for chores and personal tasks so they are done before other needs are met. I love using an organized system either in my planner or a white board, to show who needs to do what activity.

• Post it notes also help with using a color coded way to keep each family member on top of their events as well. Children can easily look at both methods to know what they are responsible for and using it every day will help them achieve more independence.

• Checking off or removing post-its makes the day easier to go from one activity to the other.

Letting your child guide whatever rest activities they want to do in their day will keep them from feeling they are being "bossed" around and will take ownership to being able to balance the priorities in their day.

When families work hard to make time for work, school, play and rest, they have achieved the act of respecting each other's lives and being a part of what it means to be a family.

Remember, July 30th is World Friendship Day so encourage your child to create a "friendship" book using hand made illustrations, pictures from magazines, or photos to show how much being a friend truly means to them!

Enjoy the rest of July and I'll see you back here in August! Peace & Love! ☮️ ❤️