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Encouraging Your Kids To Love Writing
Writing skills are an essential part of a child’s educational experience, both practicality and creatively. Some children naturally love to write, while others might need a little bit of a push. For those in the later category, these five steps will help you to encourage them.
1 . Write stories together
Perhaps you’ve encouraged your child to write stories, yet they haven’t seemed to get around to it? One super-easy way to encourage them is to have creative writing sessions together. Find a cozy corner in your home, buy some new notebooks, and over-sized pieces of paper for big- brainstorming. Use brightly colored pens, draw characters, and look at their favorite books for inspiration. Ask them questions to get them started- where should the story be set? Who is the main character? Can they describe them etc? If you want your child to love writing, you’ve got to show them that you love it too.
Provide plenty of books
The more books a child reads, the more likely that they will become inspired to write, so offer them all the lovely books that you can. From the classics to quirky new writers, from magical stories to non-fiction. The more varied books that they read, the more that they will learn. Talk to them about the language in the stories, ask them to pick out the words that they like the sound of, especially descriptive words. Create a word- bank to help them write their own stories (plus to practice their spelling). Set example to your kids by reading plenty yourself!
3. Private tuition
Getting your child a private english tutor can be a great idea to help them improve their writing skills. Much of the time, kids like getting a little special attention outside of the classroom. They’ll be glad of their own private teacher to help them work on their skills. One app in particular, which is very handy for this, is My TutorLab. Once you’ve created your account, you can book sessions with tutors whenever you please at your convenience.
4. Creative writing club
Perhaps there is a creative writing club at your child’s school? If not, somewhere further afield in the local area? Extra classes after school can be an excellent way to give your child’s writing a real boost. They’ll meet other children who enjoy the subject and get to bounce ideas off each other!
5. Visit the library often
On your next family day out, take your child to the library for a fun and educational day. Ask them to pick out some books that they like, help them find a comfy spot to read, and show them how to use the machines to take out the books. Check the notice boards for any age-appropriate workshops for kids and ask them if they might like to go.
Talk to them often about their favorite book characters, or what they’ve been learning in English class. Discussing English often will help you to get them excited about what they are learning.
