Whether you are homeschooling or sending your kids to school, doesn’t this time of year feel like NEW YEAR’S?
Brand-spankin’ new pencils.
Pristine notebooks.
Lots of goals and hopes.
Since you’re likely in the New Year’s mindset too, we want to suggest one goal you might try for this school year. It’s not a hard one, but it pays BIG dividends:
START A FAMILY JOURNAL
That’s it. Not too hard right?
All you need is a blank book for your coffee table and a little commitment. You have kept a journal before, but this one is different. This is a family journal that family members take turns writing in OR you do group writes in it TOGETHER.
As the CEO of the family, go ahead and take the lead by writing first. We suggest doing it at the dinner table and then immediately reading it aloud to your family, asking if they have anything else to add.
Topic ideas:
- Things that make our family happy.
- Silly things that (baby brother or sister) says.
- Highlights from a family trip.
- Today was a great/horrible day. Here’s why:
- Our family’s top ten favorites (songs, books, movies, snacks, meals, traditions. . .)
- Take turns writing paragraphs or chapters of a story.
- Make a straightforward list of exactly what that day looked like for your family. Where everyone had to be. What everyone did? In ten years, this will be priceless because SO MUCH will have changed!
Why is this so important?
The best part of writing is being “read.” The family journal gives children the immediate joy of writing to a real audience.
It also gives them the opportunity to see mom and dad write.
It isn’t a chore. It is what your family does for fun. You are a family that WRITES together. How cool is that?
Beyond this, you are creating a treasured family record.
Irreplaceable!
THE PAY OFF
Maybe the most important pay off is that every time you WRITE in this family journal and every time you read from this family journal, you are creating a positive writing experience.
These experiences add up. And add up. And add up.
The more positive writing experiences, the more your kids are willing to write. The more they write, the easier it becomes for them. Ease with writing unlocks confidence, opportunities, and peace of mind. It’s a gift.
In other words, this simple practice will pay big.
Wishing you and your family a great NEW YEAR!
