We Label Everything Now!
Gigi started Kindergarten in August and I went into organizational overdrive. Of course, we were overdue for a good bout of organizing around here anyway, but now that we have such a busy schedule and all of my free time is consumed with trying to locate a teaching job – the need for organization is dire.
So, I started out by making sure all of my plastic tubs and bins and boxes were properly labeled. That was quite a chore. While I was at it, I realized that since this was such an important time in Gigi’s literacy development, that I may as well label as many everyday items as I could manage. I started with her dresser drawers, where I labeled the contents with both the word and a picture. For example, her school shirts are in one drawer with the word “Shorts” in it and next to it I affixed a picture of a shirt and school-type items (ABCs, a book, and an apple).
Mind you, I did all of this labeling by either writing with a Sharpie (the bins and boxes) or making the labels on my computer, printing them out, and taping them to things (the drawers, for example). In the middle of it all, I realized that a good label maker was something that would get A LOT of use in my house.
In fact, when I went online to look at DYMO Labelmaker models, I found their page on “Back to School Time” labeling tips and it opened my eyes to even MORE things I now want to label: her sweaters, her hats, and maybe even a set of magnetic letters (with the very cool magnetic tape I found on the Dymo site).
So, yes, labeling for me is about organization, but in the long run I am incorporating a huge learning tool into my daughter’s life. Cognitively, one of the skills she is ready for right now is labeling and she needs to see examples of words along with their items they represent in our home. It’s a leg up for her.
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