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Make use of what every child has

There is one thing that every single child has and which all children love to use. It is also the ultimate stimulus to creative writing.

It is their thoughts.

Thoughts can be set down in a Thinking Journal, which in itself encourages children to consider their thoughts in ways that they have never done before.

What we find is that almost all children love having their own Thinking Journal and want a personal book to record their thoughts and those of others.

The Thinking Journal thus becomes a place where children can write about their own thinking and learning in an honest and open way. The journal can also provide a means of structuring a really effective learning conversation between home and school as children can invite their parents to write in it and teachers to look at it.

The journal also offers an opportunity for children to express their opinions, fears, confusions, questions and concerns, as well as being a place of safety – there are definitely no wrong or right answers within a journal.

Finally Thinking Journals build self-confidence and give practice in self-expression – for as they write, the children’s concept of themselves as thinkers and writers grows immensely.

Thinking Journals are the obvious place to record the range of conversations that arise from thinking homework activities – a place of reflection, somewhere to ask further questions and to let children and families grow as thinkers and learners.

What’s more, when used in conjunction with the ideas in our Let’s Think Homework resource, children and their families will quickly enjoy capturing thoughts and conversations, and the progress in children’s thinking will become evident in the pages of their journal.

Let’s Think Homework is a volume that has been written to provide ideas that are engaging and meaningful, offering regular opportunities for children to practise a range of thinking and learning skills.

There is more information on Thinking Journals and Let’s Think Homework in the web links below:

Thinking Journals

Let’s Think Homework

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