甥っ子の書道トレーニングも、ついに4日目。まだ宿題用の提出作品が仕上がっていないということで、「今日、見に行けるよ」とLINEで連絡してみると、すぐに「見てください！」と元気よく電話がかかってきました。そういうわけで、11時ごろに“おばさんコーチ”の私が到着。ところが、もう一人のおばさんが先に伴走してくれていました。どうやら、甥っ子、朝から調子が良いようです。
最初の「希」という字が小さくまとまってしまう癖を直すため、まずはこの字を集中的に練習。そして、提出用の作品には名前を書く必要もあるので、苦手な小筆の練習にもステップアップしました。
名前を書くときに大切なのは、意外にも「どう座るか」という姿勢。これについてじっくり試行錯誤を重ねました。たとえば、手を浮かせて書いてみると、全然力が入らず不安定に。一方で、紙の上に正座してしまうと、紙が破けてしまう…といった具合。いろいろ試していくうちに、「紙の左側に座り、右手を紙につけた状態で筆を立てて書く」という方法が一番安定することがわかりました。
さらに、お手本の配置にも工夫を加えました。通常は左側に置くお手本ですが、名前を書く場合は右側に置くことで、書きながら自然に視界に入るようにする。この小さな調整が大きな違いを生み出しました。
甥っ子は字を書くことに苦手意識があったのですが、今回の練習を通じて、姿勢を整えることが書道だけでなく、他の活動にも影響を与えることに気づきました。正しい姿勢は、食事中の座り方や、勉強時のノートの取り方など、日常のあらゆるシーンにつながるもの。書道トレーニングを超えて、生活全般における大切な「気づき」を得る機会となりました。
書道の練習はもちろん大事ですが、それ以上に、根本的な発見ができた今回の経験は、甥っ子にとっても私にとっても、とても有意義なものとなりました。
右が初日、左が4日目の成果です。筆の入り方が全然違うのが一目でわかりますよね。甥っ子自身も、その変化をしっかりと自覚していました。自分で自分の成長に気づけるというのは、とても大事なことです。
あとは本番を迎えるだけですが、書道に苦手意識を持っていた甥っ子がここまで努力した姿を見て、私の中ではすでに「金賞」をあげたい気持ちです！ ４日で、墨汁４本使いました！(笑)
### 4 Bottles of Ink in 4 Days!
Today marked the fourth and final day of my nephew's calligraphy training. He still hadn’t finished his homework assignment for submission, so I sent him a quick LINE message: “I can come over to check it out today!” Almost immediately, he called back enthusiastically, “Please come take a look!” So, around 11 a.m., this “auntie coach” arrived at his house—only to find that another aunt had already been assisting him earlier. (What a team effort!) It seems my nephew had been in high spirits all morning.
We started by focusing on the character *希*, which he had a tendency to make too small. After some intense practice on that, we moved on to a more challenging step: writing his name, which required using a fine brush—a skill he wasn’t comfortable with.
Interestingly, we discovered that the key to writing his name well wasn’t just about brush technique but also about *posture*. We spent a lot of time experimenting with how he should sit. For instance, writing with his hand suspended in the air made it hard to control the brush, while sitting directly on the paper risked tearing it. After much trial and error, we found that the best position was to sit slightly to the left of the paper, keep his right hand resting on the surface for stability, and hold the brush upright.
We also adjusted the placement of his example sheet. Typically, reference sheets are placed on the left side, but for writing names, placing it on the right made it easier for him to glance at it naturally while writing. This small adjustment made a big difference.
My nephew has always had a bit of a mental block when it comes to writing, but this practice session taught him something profound: posture and positioning aren’t just important for calligraphy—they’re essential for everything. How you sit during meals, how you position yourself when taking notes for school—it’s all connected. This was more than just calligraphy training; it was a foundational discovery that could influence many areas of his life.
Calligraphy practice was important, of course, but the lessons he learned about posture and perseverance felt even more significant. For both of us, this experience turned out to be incredibly meaningful.
Take a look at the comparison: the one on the right is from Day 1, and the one on the left is from Day 4. You can clearly see the difference in how he controls the brush strokes now. My nephew even recognized his own progress, which is such an important step—being able to notice your own growth is vital for building confidence.
Now, all that’s left is the final piece for submission. But honestly, seeing how much effort my nephew has put into this—despite his initial struggles with calligraphy—I feel like he’s already earned a “Gold Medal” from me! And just to highlight his dedication: in 4 days, he went through 4 bottles of ink! (Yes, really!) 😊
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