Narrations 101 Jot & Draw

Narrations are an important principle in a Charlotte Mason education.

I have found that a young child naturally “retells” a good story.

Even a 4-year-old narrates with detail and passion!

All you need to do is find ways of capturing their thoughts.

Here are some practical ways you can collect your child’s narrations ~

Use a blank jotter or notebook ~

 

• Buy the cheapest newsprint jotter books and cover it with the child’s own art.
• Paste everything they draw, scribble and copy into this jotter.
• You may fill several in a year!
• Write out the story in pencil as they narrate and let them copy over your writing.
• Draw the title really big and bold and let the child draw a picture under it.

Create a narration notebook for the story/ subject ~

• Use blank or colored pages.
• Tea-stain paper and crumple the paper to make it look “old”.
• Tear or burn the edges for an aged effect.
• Join a few pages length-wise and roll it up to become a scroll.
• Re-purpose old telephone books or pages and paint over the printing
• Staple the pages together at the top/ side with a cardboard cover.
• Be creative and make a booklet with stick and rubber band – see how to at Susan’s Making Books.com
• Punch holes and put into a binder/ file.

Draw a picture of the story ~

• Ask your child to draw while you read aloud.
• Let them copy the book’s illustrations.  This is a good way of teaching the child to draw.  Some children’s books are so beautifully illustrated that they inspire a child!
• Add the story title & a date.
• Write their narration around/under/ next to the picture as they dictate.  Simple narration!
• Make a collage. Add details found in magazines to a picture.
• Find clip art or Google pictures or images on the computer and let your child add this to their narration page
• Make a comic strip – divide the page into 4-6 blocks.  Number the blocks.  This is good practice to sequence the story.

• Add educational value to the drawing – (if they will allow)
  • punch holes around the edges and let them practise threading/ sewing around the page with wool
  • draw vertical and horizontal squiggly lines through the picture and let them cut on the lines
  • now let the child make their “puzzle” picture up again and paste it in the jotter
  • cut out the main characters and let the child glue them on a colored or painted background.

Read my original post on this topic ~ Mom ~ The Narration Scribe.

Join me in Narration 102 where I share how to type and print your child’s narrations as a booklet.

How do you encourage your young children to record their narrations? Feel free to share in the comments.

Blessings,