Summer is almost over. In a few days, it will be time to head back to school and the schedule that follows the clock not the relaxed pace of summer. Why not plan a summer fun journaling day to help your child refocus on telling time.
Make a List of the Activities
The idea of the photo journal day is to take pictures of the things you and your child do all day long and to record them with the times. This does not have to be a costly day. You don’t even have to leave your house. Just help your child make a list of the things you want to do. She will love the time and attention no matter what the activities are.
Enjoy the Day with Your Camera
Begin with your child still in bed. Take a sleepyhead picture. Write down the time. Continue through the day this way. Here are some ideas to include:
- breakfast
- brushing teeth
- reading a book together
- watching a DVD
- blowing bubbles outside
- eating lunch
- cleaning up the lunch dishes
- playing a game
- taking a walk
- folding the towels
- dusting
- cooking supper
- setting the table
- eating supper
- cleaning the kitchen
- taking out the trash
- swinging
- bedtime.
Notice that not all of the ideas are just for fun things. The idea is that summer is fun – you are capturing the fun of summer in the photo journal.
Print Your Photo Journal with Captions
Print your photos (one per page) from your computer. Before you print your pictures add a simple sentence caption at the bottom for each one. For example:
- At 8:00 Justin was in bed.
- At 9:00 we ate breakfast.
- At 10:00 we took a walk.
- At 11:00 we watched a DVD.
- At 12:00 we ate lunch.
- At 1:00 we folded the towels,
- At 2:00 we played a game.
- At 3:00 we dusted the tables.
- At 4:00 we cooked supper.
- At 5:00 we ate supper.
If your child has fairly basic time skills, you will want to pick things that happened on the hour. If her skills are more advanced, you might want to add the half hours or quarter hours or mix up the times. Also, consider having her type or write the captions.
Share the Photo Journal with Friends
After your child constructs her photo journal book, she can share it with her family and friends. Have her read each of the pages and tell what she was doing in each picture.
For the price of some ink and paper, you can help your child practice important skills in telling time – and create a family summer memory!
Lynn Moore - Moore is a freelance writer, experienced special education teacher, and mother of two. She has worked as a developmental therapist for ...
