While most people use dry erase boards to leave notes to each other or keep track of what's needed or when, I like to use them as educational tools.For instance, we recently purchased Javi's first dictionary. Every morning when he wakes up, he finds a new word on his dry erase board. He must then look up the word in his dictionary and write down the definition. By the end of the day, he must write a sentence of his own using the word. And he loves gathering us around him to present his sentence.
Because Javi's a child who loves to read and tell stories, his sentence often becomes the basis for an action-packed short story. I love that his "words of the day" push him to come up with plots that extend past his stereotypical 8 year old imagination, which is otherwise filled with monsters, soldiers, and wrestlers. (Please tell me that's standard for an 8 year old boy.)
During the school year, his words coincide with the vocabulary lists his teacher sends home from school. And this year he'll be working with multiplication and division, so I imagine the board will start seeing some numbers soon.
So that's what works for me. What works for you?
I LOVe this idea! I got a small dry erase board for my 6yo son to practice his letters (he struggles with handwriting) because it was something special. But the newness wore off and it's been collecting dust. I am going to try this for him and his 10 yo sister. Thanks for sharing.
I'm glad you like the idea, Penny. I also love having the word written out for him because it acts as a visual reminder. You know it is when a child has ADHD -- they sometimes need something tangible to focus on. I hope your little one loves word of the day as much as Javi does!
Great idea, I love when parents take the initiative to be educational at home and not just rely on schooling! We're expecting our first in February, and we will definitely incorporate educational activities early on. Keep up the good work!
I ♥ this idea!!!!
I'm going to try it with my kids...... I need to get them interested in learning again with school right around the corner.
I've let this be the summer for them to just be kids... go play outside, swimming, little trips here and there but haven't focused on learning too much. I need to get back in the habit of spending some time everyday on little learning lessons.