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My Child The Author

© Cindy Ovard

As writers we fall in love with the written word. Sometimes our families follow in our footsteps and sometimes not, but when it’s time for school reports and school essays it’s a great time to help our children understand how strong and powerful words can be.

My daughter approached me in bewilderment when a report was due on comparing ancient Indian art to modern art. It had to be a three-paragraph article that would be published in the school newsletter along with illustrations drawn by the student. After I explained in detail what was needed she realized she not only had the ability to succeed, but she had the ability to write something she was proud of and be excited about. She wrote her report with great care and her illustrations were completed with great concentration. She was proud to see her name in print and to have others read it. She finally realized the power that her words had on others. They understood her work and they understood her reasoning behind her comparison. She came away from this report a better person with more knowledge about why we write and why it’s important to write. She has her eye on writing now (as long as she can use her illustrations). She loves to draw and wants to illustrate books someday. It’s a lofty goal, but something she knows she can achieve if she puts her mind to it. She believes in herself.

The belief our children have in themselves is the corner stone on which they grow to obtain more out of life. We add that to their lives through our actions towards their goals and their dreams.

Writing can be a powerful tool for many people and getting our children involved in it while they are young can set them for life in areas of finding out who they are. Journal keeping is a major source of inspiration to them as they write their desires, goals and dreams down. They will look back in years to come to read their journals and see how far they’ve come and see what directions their lives have taken. There are many avenues for our children to take. Finding the love of reading and writing is lofty and one they can attain with the right insight. The Young Writers Club helps children find out how to put their feelings on paper and encourages them to find out who they are through the written word. Young Writers Workshop teaches how important it is to write while they are young and yet how much fun it can be at the same time. Inkspots also has a group for children writers under eighteen.

The copyright of the article My Child The Author in Family Activities is owned by Cindy Ovard. Permission to republish My Child The Author in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.