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by Julie Williams
Topics: Third Grade, Writing, Mother's Day
Share Photos to Win

In third grade, kids spend a lot of time learning how to master more advanced punctuation, such as quotation marks in dialogue sentences.   Don’t be surprised if the skills come slow: there are lots of tricky commas and spaces to master. 

Often, kids practice with worksheets.  But as Mother’s Day approaches, here’s a great way to practice while making a gift she’ll treasure for years.  Everybody's grateful for Mom!  Let them say just how.

You Will Need:

  • 3 pieces of card stock paper, 8-1/2”x11”
  • Stapler
  • 9 photos—they may be old or new—of family, friends, and pets who love Mom (you may represent 9 separate people; or it’s also okay to repeat!)
  • Glue stick
  • Markers for drawing; black fine tip pen for writing


What to Do:

  1. Fold the cardstock in half to make a booklet, 5-1/2” wide by 8-1/4” tall.  Use a stapler to fasten the three pages on the fold.
  2. On the front, have your third grader make a cover.  It should say “What We Love About Mom” and should have your child’s name, too.  Encourage your child to finish it off with a special picture, either of something Mom loves, or of Mom herself!
  3. Now you’re ready for the “story.”  On each of the inside pages, have your child glue a different photograph, and leave enough space at the bottom or top of each page for your child to write a full, solid sentence.
  4. Go back through the book. For each picture, have your child write one full sentence of dialogue, correctly punctuated, “from” that person (and remember: pets may “speak” in this way; so may babies and even beloved cantankerous machines, like the family car!)  Here is one favorite from our family: Tunafish the cat says, “Every night you feed me my favorite liver-cod feast!”
  5. On the very last page of the book, your child can write the big punch line: Happy Mother’s Day!  Wrap it up and be prepared—you can count on a book like this to bring huge guffaws, and possibly a tear or two, too.   And don’t be surprised if you see some strong gains in quotation usage while you’re at it, too!