How Important Is Freedom of Expression in Children?

Does writing for being graded put a barrier to our freedom of expression and learning?

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Here’s a summary of what Katrina Schwartz shared in How Visual Thinking Improves Writing:

When teachers from Oak Knoll Elementary School in Menlo Park, Calif. asked their students to keep a notebook that combines words and drawings – taking inspiration from the popular children’s book series Amelia’s Notebook, - here is the insight they have found.

“They’re not used to being given permission to write about whatever they want,” Karen Clancy, a teacher from Oak Knoll Elementary School in Menlo Park, Calif. said.

Once her students knew that they were given the freedom of expression to write and draw without being graded, they have asked for more time to write.

Samples of Amelia’s Notebook

According to the author of Amelia’s Notebook, Marissa Moss, “writing without fear of consequences is key to developing a writer’s voice.” Moss also pointed out that developing a distinct voice in children is one of the hardest things to teach.

“If you’re perfect you are guaranteed to not write a thing. It’s like driving with one foot on the gas and one foot on the break,” Moss said, whose books combine the power of words and drawings to express Amelia’s ideas about the world.

Since this notebook project – Lifebook Journals – has been initiated, the teachers at Oak Knoll have seen a dramatic improvement in the students’ choice of word, voice and sentence fluency, and their motivation to write.

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Besides developing a voice in children, freedom of expression helps to develop critical thinking skills and a love for reading too.

On the other hand, cutting out the freedom of expression in children will hinder the development of their distinct voice. Over time, they may grow into a person with low confidence and fear, which is not a good thing for their social and soul development.

Hence, we ought to give our children the freedom of expression so as they will be able to experience a positive development of their body, mind, social and soul.