The next post in a series. Taking dictation is a technique that is often used in classrooms with young kids–say kindergarteners and first graders. It’s also a technique occasionally mentioned in books on writing for homeschoolers. However, dictation often seems to be treated as a temporary fix, as something you do for a short while, [...]

There isn’t one way to take dictation from a child. But there are a few tips that might help, so I’ll offer some possibilities. Most important: choose a favorable time to get started. My last post had ideas for this. the one with the windquist (see below) Written by hand or on a computer? For [...]

The next post in my little series. One of the hardest parts of taking dictation from a kid can be getting started. If you sit down at a table with a pencil and a piece of blank paper and say, “Tell me a story and I’ll write it down,” you might get lucky, and you might [...]

Post #2 in a month-long project, described here. If dictation is such a powerful tool–which I’m hoping to convince you that it is–why don’t more families do it? Why is it simply mentioned in passing in books about kids and writing? One reason. I’ll bet you can figure it out. It’s not a technique used [...]

Welcome to a new, month-long project here on the Wonder Farm! Come on in, and find a seat! For the month of September, I’m planning to focus my posts on a single topic: taking dictation from kids. I’ll be posting much more often than my typical once-a-week dispatches. I’m hoping that some of you will [...]

Because watching my Lulu go off to school in my last post wasn’t enough… This weekend Chris and I brought H to NYU. I started writing a maudlin post with lots of wrenching details like the sight of H’s boxers intermingled with the family laundry for the last time, and the sorrow of shopping at [...]