I am so proud when I hear my daugher say “I can’t read the words, so I am going to read the book my way. I am just reading the pictures.” This is the result of many discussions going something like this: “Mom, can you read this book to me?” “I would love to but right now I am cooking dinner. Why don’t you read the book yourself?” “I can’t read yet.” “I know but you can read the pictures. Look at the pictures and tell me what is happening, it’s ok if its not the exact words, you can tell your own story.”
I am also proud when my daughter shows respect for others by being polite. One way we are teaching her to do this is by showing gratitude. Following her birthday was an opportunity to practice this skill by showing gratitude for the gifts she received by making thank you cards. To create our cards we practiced our writing skills by tracing letters but I also reminded my daughter what she knows about pictures: a carefully drawn picture is a form of writing. Lilly used her drawing skills to write the gift she received and one thing she enjoyed doing with her friend during the party. Below is a picture of the results and a template if you would like to try writing with pictures as a way to show gratitude.
