Michelle Woo tried out an experiment which turned into a fun activity, a way for her daughter to learn and practice at her own volition, and a medium of communication between the two of them.
The “noticing wall” as Woo called it, began with her tearing out a worksheet page with a question or an exercise and taping it to the side of their kitchen island. She wanted to see if her daughter noticed it:
That evening, she did. Without any prompting, she quietly got a pen, sat on the floor and completed the worksheet. And that was that! I didn’t say “Good job!” or anything at all—instead, when she was off at school the next day, I simply took down the completed page and put up a new one. And then she finished that one, too. So I put up another and another and another.
Due to her daughter’s enthusiasm in answering the papers taped on the noticing wall, Woo’s little experiment has now become a zero-pressure space for the mother and daughter to write notes to each other, ask questions, jot down fun things, and make plans.
Maybe if I do this on my bedroom wall, I can also get my tasks done on time.
Image: Michelle Woo