Children Blogging
My children have just started blogging and so far they are LOVING it. It’s taken me a while to get blogs set up for them but now they’ve started, they can barely talk about anything else. I guess while it’s all new and exciting, they are particular interested. Time will tell how long that interest lasts.
The main purpose I had for setting them up on a blog was to document a trip we plan to take as a family next year. A combination of an online journal to have a record of the trip AND an educational basis, teaching them about the internet and blogging and encouraging their writing skills.
However, since getting them started I have seen another interesting benefit to them blogging. It’s been a way for me, as a parent, to get an idea of what they’re thinking about particular things.
Sometimes my children are very forthcoming in sharing what they’re thinking but other times they keep things to themselves. I can see the blogging becoming another communication stream between us.
As my eldest is not far from entering his adolescent years, I’m so pleased to have discovered this now.
Some have privacy concerns with regard to the internet, as well they should. However, I believe that the best way to protect my children is to educate them. We have a few basic rules about what information they aren’t allowed to share and at this point, I’m checking their posts before they are published.
If you have a child with a blog, I’d love to know the URL so I can encourage my children to read and comment.
If you’d like to see what my children are writing, you can find their blogs at:
3 Kids And A Caravan (our family travel blog)
and
Lleyton’s Place (my 10 year olds blog)
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Comments
you make a great point here. i too would have privacy concerns if a kid of mine were to blog, but i think it’s great that you’re combating that with education. good, good.
just watch out for those cyberbullies though.
I found your blog by accident and am I glad that I did. I like your blog and what you are trying to do with your children. I have not yet been blessed with children, but when I do, I think I shall follow suit.
Aldon - that sounds REALLY interesting. I will come and have a listen some time.
Kouji - the privacy issue is a tough one, as is cyber bullying. Hopefully we can avoid or handle any of that that comes our way.
Nicole - thank you and my apologies for taking so long to respond to your comment. Life has been a teeny bit hectic of late.
it’s good to hear that your children know how to blog. actually i have a baby daughter which is only one years old, and i am planning to teach her how to blog when she begin at 7 years old
Barroc,
I was at a conference a few weeks ago, where I heard a wonderful story. A woman had a new niece and set up an email account for her. Whenever her niece did something special, the aunt would send an email to the niece. Then, when the niece is old enough to read, the email account will be full of wonderful stories.
Aldon
That’s such an amazing idea. My son is just a preschooler and writing skills are yet to develop, but I ensure that I read him a book everyday just so that he gets into the habit of reading. I think in a few years time I will set up a blog for him as well. Thanks for the idea.
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Well, my kids don’t blog. However, my youngest daughter is doing a talk radio show on the Internet every Sunday evening.
She is about to turn seven, and she calls her radio show ‘Fiona Speaks’.
It is on BlogTalkRadio, so anyone can call in and join the discussion, listen to the stream live, or go back and listen to archives.
You can find her previous and upcoming shows on my BlogTalkRadio page
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Aldon-Hynes
We do the show every week at 6:30 eastern time. We talk about what has gone on during her week. Beside providing some good father-daughter time, it builds an audio archive of our life together and helps her become a more confident speaker and understand what goes into radio shows.
It is great fun. Have your kids check it out.