It's Just Common Sense
Ruth Beechick, Curriculum Specialist

If grandparents live at a distance, use this situation for an important part of your language teaching. Help your children write good letters to them.

Talk about what to tell them, up to three topics. They can write one paragraph per topic, plus opening greeting, closing I-love-you message, or whatever they wish to add. Then check over this letter to correct spelling and punctuation and whatever else needs improvement, and have the child recopy until it is error free. Most daily assignments are not worth this work, but grandparent letters are the perfect place to require it. Children learn the need to aim for perfection when writing for an audience, and the grandparents will be impressed with the quality of your education.

Younger children still learning to write can dictate to you what they want to say. Then they can copy from your model, with pencil and good eraser. They, too, need to learn that people value good writing.

If grandparents live nearby, then children can help according to their abilities. Shoveling snow and washing some outside windows are two ideas, especially for great-grandparents who may be less able to do this kind of work. Reaching out builds character and family bonds.

--Ruth