Teaching The Joy of Receiving & Writing Notice

Teaching Children to Notice

By Writing to Them

Part 2 of Reviving the tradition of writing

 

When we put pen to paper to write a letter we are doing more than sending a short note or saying hello, we are freezing in that moment our thoughts, feelings, and ideas.  Through our handwriting we are personalizing these notes in a way that typed missives can never do.

In a box of letters from my childhood I can revisit love notes from old boyfriends, two letters from grade school teachers encouraging me in my education and words of wisdom from Aunt Marjorie.  Each a unique time capsule that transports me back to my childhood and creates a window for me into in the soul of the writer.

We have an opportunity to mentor our children and grandchildren in the art of hand writing, by writing to them.   

In the first post on the joy of writing I provide some basic guidelines in writing to children.  

The next few posts in this series will be dealing with the content of our letters.  

 Noticing

When we write to our children about what we have noticed we are helping them develop insight and empathy.  When we write to them about the changes, successes, talents, struggles,: the things that we have been mindful of.

Dear Ruth

I love to watch you sit on the floor and take a puzzle out of the box.  You take each piece out and look at it noticing the colours.  Next you sit very still and concentrate on whole picture.  Finally you scan the pieces a second time and your eyes light up when you find a piece that you recognize and from which you start the process of solving the riddle of the puzzle.

You have a talent for seeing patterns and noticing colours.

Love Grandma

As we approach the holiday giving season spend some time looking at the many children’s journal that are available and the fun pencils and pens that are available.

Grandma Snyder