With the family coming home for Easter, I dug out some of the decorations that the kids, almost in theirthirties, expect to see. I remembered some of the things that I used to do, too. Growing up on a farm, there was lots of family members that gathered and where to sit everybody was a puzzle. We’d solve the problem with place cards. Writing names is one of the first real writing activities of children. Kids’ early attempts at writing are often just lists of names. Place cards is a tremendous way for children to participate in such a grownup activity. If kidlets are too young for printing on their own, they can trace the letters with crayons for color or add pictures to the place cards. What a boost to their self-esteem to see their work in such an important place on the table for everyone. What’s in a name? Early writing, validation, contribution, importance and, years later, family memories, too. Happy Easter!
