Storyboarding

We recently took our first trip ever without our little man- we were flying with the baby; he was staying with Gramma and Grampa.  Since he gets his patience from his mother and still has a limited understanding of long-range planning, I didn't mention it to him until two days before the trip.  I tried to frame it as his adventure in getting to spend the night with Gramma, but his reaction to the news was tears.  "Why don't I get to go on the airplane?!?"

I panicked.  As if I was not already feeling guilty and nervous enough about leaving him.  So I broke out an idea a friend of mine who is an art-therapist had shared with me- storyboards.  The idea is that everyone, even (and especially) little people, do better when they know what to expect.  But little people also have a limited understanding of time and often limited vocabulary.  So storyboards can help prepare and guide them though unfamiliar situations with pictures and a time-line.  And they can take ownership in a situation that is beyond their control if they get to help design and make the storyboard. Plus it helps with the foundations of reading to have a story told from left to right with pictures and words.

So the night before our trip, I sat down at the kitchen table with a big (9x11) sheet of paper, our markers, and Jonathan on my lap.

You can see my artistic ability in the exquisite stick-figures.  I drew one row for each day and divided it up into a few key events- wake up, school, church, bedtime, etc.  As we talked through what his days were going to look like, I tried to give him choices in the pictures.  "When you wake up you will have breakfast with Gramma.  What do you think you will eat?"  or  "Samantha will probably be at school- what color should we draw for her?" or "What kind of toys to you think you will play with Grampa?" By the third or fourth box, he was pretty into the idea and getting more excited about the trip.  He brought the storyboard with him, and Gramma crossed off the days as they happened so he knew when to expect us to return.

I don't know how much it helped him, but the trip went well!