Our public schools fall short in guiding children in developing essential writing skills. Sadly, we as parents at times may also fall prey to the media, which drain the family's time and keep them away from the written word. In some homes children may never observe their parents putting pens to paper. A shopping list is a painless way to begin your child on their writing journey. It is a wonderful way to reinforce young learners that are becoming familiar with the alphabet and the sounds letters make. Once at the grocery store, your child can read back the words he/she wrote and help select the item. There are numerous opportunities in writing for older children.

I am working on putting together a "Writing Tool Box". The choices are endless in what our children can use to write on. Variety is the key. Our children may like to use lined or unlined paper, white or colored sheets, backs of envelopes, index cards, back sides of ruined sheets, newspaper edges or personalized stationary, all with equal interest and pleasure. We need to encourage, but not demand, that the writing fit the lines or be done in any specific way. Let's allow our childrens imaginations and creativity be the leader, as they establish the writing habit.

My writing tool box will also include various writing implements, such as pencils, both lead and colored, crayons which they can use in a wide range of expression. I will also supply and encourage erasers, and assure my children that all writers make mistakes. My children love to write in ink! Perhaps they think it is grown - up? I'll also add washable markers that come in a variety of colors, both thick and thin. A chalkboard in our children's room is able to support daily writing activities and excellent practice for newly learned words. "Work" can turn our children off from writing so we'll need to offer fun writing activities.