Top Tips for Literacy: How to Create Answer Books

One of the greatest cues for learning that parents most overlook is the constant stream of questions asked by young children. My kids gushed with them.

How long will it take me to get to the moon?
When are the dinosaurs coming back? I'm scared.
What do chickens think about?
Can I fly out this window?


 
Yes, my boys are an inquisitive bunch. Then all of a sudden, when they started school, they stopped. Once they start school, it is the teachers who ask all the questions and they are no longer allowed to question the world around them as freely.

Our new age children are inventors. Inventors ask questions to find out tried and true answers but to also consider alternative solutions. The inquiry-based learning that is built into their modern psyche is another opportunity for parents to create authentic literary experiences because they are centred on the child's interests and innate curiosity.

Asking questions connects children to authentic reading and writing experiences. Develop your child's own 'answer books' from cheap scrap books purchased from the $2 shop. Select one topic per book and write it on the front page. Use newspapers, magazines or junk mail to find articles or pictures. Search for answers on the internet and print them out or write down the web address. Incorporate whatever medium your child is interested in and that will lead to a solution, whether it be books, maps or asking a grandparent or professional.  Draw pictures, write words and don't try and finish it all at once. Make it a project that takes time, only focusing for as long as your child is interested.

Children will learn to associate reading with finding solutions and by working togther you can give further meaning to the value of reading and writing.

I'd love to see any books that you make with your kids, please post them to my Facebook page. The ones I made with my kids were so well loved they fell apart! I will post some pics back of the ones I still have left.

https://www.facebook.com/michelleworthington.author


Talk soon
x Michelle
www.michelleworthington.comwww.michelleworthington.com