Helping kids develop a love for reading and writing is one of the most rewarding gifts we can give them as parents and educators.
While reading can open up a whole new world to them, writing helps them think, reflect, express, and articulate their thoughts. And in this whole process – they know, explore, and understand themselves better.
Out of the different ways that I offer reading and writing opportunities to Pari, one of the most endearing ways is by – –
Integrating Writing with Art
If art and writing can be integrated to support and enrich each other, it can be a wholesome learning experience for the child.
Last week, Pari made a life-size self-portrait which turned out to be the most heartening way of self-reflection. Encouraged by open-ended questions, self-reflection, and studying herself in the mirror, it was fun, educational, and creative.
The next day, I saw an excellent writing opportunity – an extension of the self-portraiture activity.
How about an autobiography?
We sat together to understand – in the simplest of explanations – what an autobiography means. We also discussed how it is different from a biography.
Some of the things I did with Pari as a pre-writing exercise were:
- I explained the meaning of an autobiography by taking some examples from her books. One of the books – ‘Black Beauty’, was a perfect example. We have this 1877 classic by Ana Sewell not in the novel format but in a comic book form with gorgeous illustrations, which makes reading (or being read to) easier for a child. It’s a touching, heartwarming tale of a black horse (a Mustang) narrated in first person. A must-have.
- Before she began penning gown her autobiography, I had her sift through her photos on my laptop – sorted from birth till the present. When the events and memories come alive in the form of photos, writing can flow easily from them. Besides, I have always shared the stories behind those photos with her, so they were at the back of her mind when browsing through them.
- When she finally sat down to write, I gave her some photos in print. This really added to the excitement as she laid out the photos on her spiral leather-bound diary.
So, here she goes – her first attempt at writing an autobiography. We’re going to cherish this forever – both she and me!