Writing a Book Together

Your older grandkids have returned to school and you're spending time with the young one?

Make an alphabet book. Specifically an alphabet book of activities or items around your house. 

This happened to me. My youngest granddaughter came to my house a couple of days a week while her mommy returned to work, and her siblings were off to school. She wanted to play "school" as well, and frankly so did I--ever the school teacher! We decided to make an "ABC" book about my house. 

She was old enough and knew her alphabet, so we brainstormed together. What did we see or do around my house that started with the letter "A"? Always tempting to go with apples of course, but I tried to steer her on to other things. As I said, I'm always the school teacher, so I'm sure we talked about concrete items as well as action words.

It's a pretty straightforward endeavor. Just make it what you will. You and your grandchild can go around the house finding various items and taking pictures of them. However, I read an article recently where today's generation is not spending much time (if at all) on hands-on arts and crafts due to curriculum changes and technology. So by all means, have them draw some of the things they see or enjoy doing at your house to match each letter.

My granddaughter and I actually searched the photo albums in my computer files to find some of our pictures. That works too.

Just have FUN with it!

Whether you have them draw pictures, take the photos with a cell phone or camera, find existing pictures on your cell phone or computer, doesn't matter. In fact you can certainly have a mix. I wish I had had my grandkids draw the cover of our book. I could have easily scanned it, and used it for the cover. And I used Apple books for my hardcover book, but you could certainly make a scrapbook. That would be another hands-on activity I'm sure your grandchild would enjoy--all that cutting and pasting.

Here are some bookmaking websites if you're interested:

​www.mixbook.com

​www.shutterfly.com

And here's a site for board books. I've never used it, but if you have toddlers, that would be great:
​www.pintsizeproductions.com

Finally~

There is so much to do with this alphabet book. Keep it at your house for your own story time when they come. Send it home with them, or make an additional copy for them so they can read with their siblings and mom and dad. 

And I'm sure you know some great ABC books to read to them as well. Two of my favorites:

• "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" by Bill Martin and John Archambault
  
• Dr. Seuss's ABC book (my favorite)

And any number of others. Plan a trip to the library with your grandchild and see for yourselves how many alphabet books are available. It just adds to the fun of this project.

I couldn't leave out the page with my youngest grandson.

And another thing:

My daughter-in-law, who is an early childhood educator, wrote me after I posted this. She pointed out the research involving alphabet books and literacy development. It got me searching for online articles. Here are two I share~

​www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/early-literacy-skill-learning-alphabet/

​www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/10-terrific-alphabet-books-for-national-literacy-month_us_59b1c28fe4b0d0c16bb52b49

And what better way to sprinkle stardust than creating an alphabet book with a grand or great-grandchild!