I know you must have so many pictures on your computer that get stored over time into various files. Well today, I am going to ask you to open the files and print the pictures. I know I know, crazy thought that you might put your pictures to use, but hey, your kids will thank you later.
For the sake of this activity, print a handful of pictures, individually, into a word document. After you print each image out (one image per page), you are going to ask your little one to help you put the events in order.
Let’s say you choose your Easter Day File. You will ask your little one to remember Easter day. What did we do FIRST on Easter? And then? Etc. until all the events follow some kind of sequence. After sequencing the images, you will assemble the pages into a little “booklet” by stapling it on the left side a few times, or hole punch, fastening with ties (however you want to do it as long as it opens “like a book”).
Then, you will ask your little one to help you write a story about your Easter Day, a sentence for each picture. You will practically just write verbatim what he/she tells you, unless you would like to take the opportunity to “re-phrase” it to make it “sound more like a book,” but re-reading it later using your child’s words is a really special keepsake.
I am going to use my neice’s pictures from Easter from four years ago using my words to give you an example of what I mean:
Mmmm….The Easter Bunny filled my basket with candy.
I got ready for church in my new Easter dress!
When we got back from church, Mommy and Daddy let me dye Easter eggs!
Before I went to bed, I dressed up like the Easter bunny and ate my bunny snack.
*This activity of book-making is a great way to teach sequencing, model writing, and introduce print concepts. Book-making using your child’s pictures in place of illustrations also makes print more meaningful to your little reader.
