By Kim Jaworski, Homeschool Resource Specialist

We got this idea from a children’s museum. We were given a little mock passport and as we went from room to room or activity to activity we got a stamp in the passport. The boys loved it.

So, for kindergarten and first grade (and you can certainly use it for even younger kiddos) I got them a small notebook that looked like a passport. On each page, I’d write something like “I can write my name” or “I’ve learned my phone number” or “I can count to 20”.  And as they mastered these skills, they got to put a stamp or a sticker on the page. I’d add the date.  Sometimes they wanted to ink their fingerprint.

You can pull a list of pre-school or kindergarten skills from the internet or from the book “What your Kindergartner needs to know”, but feel free to add in any other skills your child might tackle. Hopping on one foot 10 times, cutting out a square with a scissors, counting to 10 in Spanish, setting the table for dinner, etc.

Your young learners will be proud of their ‘passport to learning’ and will enjoy showing them off to family and friends.  They make a great keepsake for later years, too.

For older kids (I’d say 2nd grade and up), you can move into a portfolio format. You can read my article on Portfolios, too!  Recordkeeping doesn’t have to be complicated or boring. It can even be FUN!!