A Kid's Journal to Encourage A Child to Write in a Second Language

We're raising our three Dutch boys bilingually, with the primary aim that they are comfortable speaking English with their British and American family. I am always on the look out for fun, interesting ways to encourage my sons to speak in English, listen to English or read English books. The biggest challenge however, is getting my nine year old to write in English. I was delighted when a great opportunity for him to practice his English penmanship fell into our laps.

I'm a fan of journaling for many reasons, and I believe it is a valuable tool for children as well as adults. The Time Capsule kid's journal turned out to be not only great fun and insightful, but a great way to get my eldest voluntarily writing in English. Without me pushing or nagging my son chose to write in his second language.

The Time Capsule is filled with questions and prompts and I told my son he could write in Dutch, if he felt he could express himself better in his mother tongue.

"No, the questions are in English so I want to try and answer them in English," he replied.

I was pleasantly surprised. A tool that gets my child writing in English! Without protesting about how difficult writing in another language is!

So far my son has given himself a pirate name and drawn himself as a pirate.

He has made journaling rules that he has to ignore (very tough for his perfectionist nature!) and designed his idea dinnertime menu.  He actually cooked his menu the following day - so not only is this a fun journal it makes your child take over cooking duties for a day!

He has given some thought to his personality traits (Yep, This is Me page) and drawn some fun illustrations to accompany his words.

It's been fun to watch him busy in the journal - more so because he's writing in English and actually enjoying himself doing it.

So, if your child's second or minority language is English then I can highly recommend this journal as a tool to get them writing in English. If course, if your child's first language is English then it's a great journal too!

But wait, there's even more greatness about this journal. You can also Give a Story and donate one of these Time Capsules at a reduced price to a child through the The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

You can get your hands on your own copy by visiting  Time Capsule on the Gadanke website or by heading to Amazon using the links below.

             

For more ideas to get your children writing in their second language read 5 Ways to Encourage a Child to Write in their Second Language.

How do you encourage your child to write in their minority language?