Teaching Writing to a Preschooler: How Not to Kill Their Fire.

One day a young girl at Riviera PlaySchool tilted her head toward me and asked “Linda, will you write my story?”

Now, typically (and in Bev Bos tradition) I would simply agree, since there is so much value in honing oral storytelling in the preschool years.  But something told me not to on that day.  So instead of putting pencil to paper, I said “Nandu, I will write it.  But why don’t you?”

“Linda!”  Nandu puffed out in exasperation “I CAN’T write!  I’m just 4!!”

I looked at her: “Nandu, do you know what writing is?”

“No” she said, eyes wide in wonder.

“Writing is just some marks that you make to remind yourself of what you wanted to say.  It is kind of a code.”

“Really?!” Exclaimed Nandu, in delight.

“Yes!” I said “And someday, you will learn to write a set of marks that everyone else can read, as well.  But right now, you can just make your own and that will work.”

“Ok!” she said.  And she excitedly began putting her story down on paper, shielding her paper from my prying eyes as she wrote.

What a success story!  We don’t want to extinguish their excitement for learning… we want to light their fire for it.  (This is how constructivists teach… and how we facilitate learning at playschool.  At playschool we take the best of Montessori, Reggio Emilia, and Waldorf, and apply construtivist teaching method to hone critical thinking skills and help pathways develop in the brain…..and whoilla!  We end up with an incredibly great learning environment for children~!)

Riviera PlaySchool in Redondo Beach, CA
TEACHING FROM BALANCE
A Mindful program for the ‘Whole Child,’ inspired by the best of Attachment Parenting, Reggio Emilia, Bev Bos, Montessori, Waldorf and Non-Violent Communication.