Summertime ... and the Writing is Easy

Whether you're looking for some ideas to improve your child's writing, or perhaps your own, summertime is the perfect time for it! Life slows down, and those long, lazy days of summer give the mind time to dream dreams, mull ideas, and let the creativity flow.

This month's article will be a two-part resource guide to help you to get your kids writing, and also spark the writer's instinct in yourself.

For the children...

There are many ways to get your kids writing this summer. Introduce them to journals to keep track of fun summer activities. Let them keep a trip log when you travel, not only as a place for collecting pictures and postcards, but also for them to write about their impressions and experiences at each destination.

Writing letters, taking messages, experimenting with Haiku, writing their autobiography, detailing a family history are all ways to get kids writing. My article, The Write Stuff, has many ideas for ways to keep your kids writing. Here are some more great resources and ideas:

An Introduction to Children's Writing

Fun activities to promote writing skills - preschool

How to raise a child who loves to write

Summer Writing Ideas

For the grown-ups...

Perhaps encouraging your child to write has gotten you interested in giving writing a try. Perhaps after reading all those stories to your kids, you've decided to write a children's story of your own. Perhaps poetry is your thing! Writing is a great form of self-expression, and can yield great rewards as well.

If you are interested in writing for kids, my article, Writing for Kids - Getting Started, which will appear at Rainy Day Corner in August, has some suggestions for you. Also, see these resources for more ideas on getting started:

Children's Writing

The Children's Writing SuperSite

Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators

Writing For Kids

Writing With Kids

And two great courses:

Teaching Writing to Children

Teaching Writing to Children - Part Two

For all aspiring writers...

Suite 101 is a super place for aspiring writers of all ages to find help and inspiration. I am always impressed by the quality of many of our topics! Here are some of my favorite Suite sites for writers. If you are thinking of doing some writing, either for pleasure or profit, these topics are extremely useful:

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