Pocket of favorites

The other day I was very excited showing Mateo a new book of exercises to practice writing. After all my explanation about how exciting it would be to start working on this new book, Mati said very properly: "Mom, in this moment I'm not very interested in all that writing stuff" I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. Afterwards I was thinking that it is good that he and I can have this kind of communication in which he can openly express what he thinks and wants…

  or does not want.

I decided to forget the writing stuff for a while and focus in other areas which are interesting for him in this moment, like reading books together. We've been reading a lot about dinosaurs and many stories. Some days ago I was looking for ideas to motivate him more to read. Practically, he already knows how to read. He recognizes all the letter and he understands the logic that together they create sounds, but he still needs lots of help to put together all the sounds he identified to know what the complete word says. Besides, he is not always very willing to practice. So, I came up with the idea of making a *pocket* which was decorated by him and which will, little by little, be filled with his favorite words. Both of them started to do the activity and were very happy to decorate each one's pocket.  When they finished decorating, Pao, who is barely starting to know the vowels, stuck stickers of some animals on a sheet and I helped him to draw the letter A for animals. After explaining Mati what he would do, the deception came. He wanted that pocket to "decorate our house", but not for doing productive stuff. After a little tension, I attained to persuade him and he accepted to read one of the words I had prepared for him. It said: "dinosaurs". It took a little long for him to read it, but when he finally discovered what it said, he took it and put it in his pocket and said: "Ok, this is the only word I'll put in, because it's my only favorite word". Calmly, I suggested him to read another word. Reluctantly, he started to read: "A-bue-los" (grandparents) Murmuring under his breath, and trying not to give in, he said: "This one is also one of my favorites" and he put it in the pocket. Then,  he thought that he could do a drawing of something he really likes and put it in the pocket as well. After a while and when a new attitude and much excitement, he drew something and explained to me that it was a "gigantosaurus", so we wrote that word behind the drawing and he got very happy with his pocket of favorite words.

I hope to keep working on these pockets and to provide a little of motivation for reading.