Paired-Shared Journaling with Kids

Poor kid.  All she wants to do is tell a story or explain an idea.  However, every clause is critiqued - every sentence scrutinized.

Sometimes it is perfectly okay to let our children express themselves for the sake of sharing their thoughts.  How liberating!  

One writing activity my boys didn't fight me on was the "Paired-Shared Journal" we did.  It never got "corrected"!   

Here is how it works.  A parent grabs a notebook or composition book. She writes the first entry.  Simple.

One year I wrote on our first day of school, "Derek, if you could learn about anything you wanted this year, what would it be and why?"  I left the crisp, glossy notebook on his desk.  The assignment was to write back to me within 24 hours.  As I recall, Derek's response was all about squirrels (spelled squerrels).  I had no idea he was intrigued by squirrels!  Not only did I get a little peek into my son's passions, but I started the ball rolling. Certainly, by later studying squirrels, I had a perfect opportunity to teach the correct spelling, too, but that came later.  

He would leave our journal by my bedside after he wrote it in each day.  By morning, he would find it once again on his desk.  After he responded all about squirrels, I asked more questions.  At times, he asked questions. As the year progressed, our topics did as well.  Sometimes things got personal. Derek quickly learned this was a quiet, safe place for us to "talk".  When his older brother hurt his feelings, he wrote to me about that.  By the end of the year, I had captured far more than writing lessons.  These now worn, dull, bended  pages remind me of a time and a boy who was once nine-years-old and loved bushy-tailed rodents. Priceless.  

Pair up with your child this year and make your own "Paired-Shared Journal".  Your child has some great ideas and thoughts to share.  Discover them.