The Write Stuff

Are you the parent of a child who loves to write? Or one who is reluctant? Here are some ways to encourage your child to write, improve his writing, and even show off that writing in a variety of ways. Teachers - these ideas can be adapted for classroom use as well.

Journals: Get your child a fancy notebook and encourage her to begin to keep a journal. Different from a traditional diary, a journal can be used not only to record thoughts and feelings, but it can also be a place to practice poetry, description, dialog, and any other form of writing your child may wish to try. For younger children, a picture and a sentence or two may be appropriate. For older children, set a goal of a page or two a day.

Journal ideas and prompts - give these a try:

1. My best memory...

2. The way I'd like to spend my birthday...

3. My most prized possession...

4. How to ...

5. My favorite game, song, place to visit....

Teachers may want to start a class journal. Using a nice big notebook, begin by writing an introduction to the class. Each night, allow one student to take the journal home and write in it. As students fill the journal, they will enjoy reading what others have written and will look forward to their next turns to write.

Authentic Writing: Make writing real by encouraging your child to write for authentic purposes. Making a shopping list, writing a letter to Grandma, writing to enter a contest are all ways to give your child's writing a basis in reality. Set up a family message board where you can leave your child notes and expect a written answer in return. Allow your child to take phone messages for other family members. Teachers, you may want to set aside a space on your bulletin board for students to exchange messages while at school.

Memory walk: Give your child the following instructions, and then let him write: Close your eyes and imagine being in a familiar place. Think about what you see in your mind's eye in all directions. Take a good look all around. Now, begin to jot down images of what you observed. Write down as many as you can. Now begin to write a description of your memory walk.

Collaborative stories: These can be done in a family or a classroom setting (in the classroom this works well with small groups of 4 or 5). Decide on a general type of story to be written - fantasy, mystery, science fiction, whatever your family or class wants to try. One person writes the beginning of the story and passes it on to the next person. Each adds a chapter, scene, or part to the story. Be sure to encourage reading what has come before to be sure the story will have continuity.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic