How to Improve Your Child's Creative Writing Skills
Read to your child every night., Create time for reading and writing., Provide your child with a place and materials for creative writing., Focus on creativity, not grammar., Show interest in your child's ideas., Display your child's work., Play...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Read to your child every night.
Reading and writing go hand-in-hand.Good writers are well read in various subjects and writing styles.
Your child's teacher and local librarian can help you select books that are appropriate to your child's age and interests.
In addition to reading to your child, have your child read to you if she is old enough.
Ask your child questions about her favorite books.
Why does she like some books and not others? Help her to develop her tastes as a reader and to be thoughtful about words, characters, settings, and plots.If your child has a favorite author or book series, you might also consider taking your child to see the author speak or sign books in order to inspire your child to write. -
Step 2: Create time for reading and writing.
Make sure your child's schedule isn't packed with other activities.Reading and writing take a lot of time and mental energy, so you cannot expect your child to write a story in between soccer practice and piano lessons.
Let your child explore the world of words during times when she can relax, breathe, contemplate, and think freely. , Just as children should have a quiet place to study and do their other homework, the same is true for their writing assignments.
Ideally, this would be a desk in the child's room, away from the television.
If your child wishes to have privacy, be sure that you afford that to him: do not read over his shoulder unless he says you can.A child's writing area should include the following materials:
A notebook or journal Pens, pencils, and erasers A bookshelf to keep inspiration nearby An age-appropriate dictionary A thesaurus.
A thesaurus isn't necessary for very young children, but it can be helpful for older children who wish to expand their vocabularies. , If your child is to succeed as a creative writer, she must learn how to experiment, take risks, and think outside the box.
Don't discourage your child's creativity by harping on her spelling, grammar, or punctuation.
Feel free to gently correct these mechanical errors, but do not make your child feel like she has failed a homework assignment.Instead, praise her creativity and talk to her about her ideas., You might be your child's sole audience for her stories for quite a while.
Encourage her to love creativity and writing by demonstrating your keen interest in her ideas, thoughts, and stories.Ask her questions about her stories that show that you were paying attention.Compliment your child when she has done something well, such as come up with an interesting character, write a funny plot, or use a difficult word correctly in a sentence., Children love it when their own drawings, stories, and paintings are displayed for the whole family to see.
Keep your child motivated to write by putting their stories up on the fridge or placing them on a bulletin board.You can also work with your child to make a special "book" out of her stories, including homemade illustrations and decorations.
Stitch the book together with ribbon or yarn to create a special venue for her creativity., If your child is too young to write and spell out long stories, ask your child to come up with stories out loud.
Write down your child's thoughts and read them back to her.You can do this with very young children to help them learn to connect spoken and written words or with older children to help them focus. , Be a model reader and writer for your child.
Demonstrate to her that reading and writing are valuable and fun activities.
The more your child sees you reading and writing, the more likely she will be to continue the practice on her own., Sometimes the most valuable writing activities are those that build and maintain important personal connections.
Develop email or letter-writing correspondence with friends and family members and ask your child to assist you.If your child is excited to receive and send letters, your child might apply this excitement to other writing activities. -
Step 3: Provide your child with a place and materials for creative writing.
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Step 4: Focus on creativity
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Step 5: not grammar.
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Step 6: Show interest in your child's ideas.
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Step 7: Display your child's work.
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Step 8: Play stenographer.
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Step 9: Write and read along with your child.
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Step 10: Correspond with friends and family often.
Detailed Guide
Reading and writing go hand-in-hand.Good writers are well read in various subjects and writing styles.
Your child's teacher and local librarian can help you select books that are appropriate to your child's age and interests.
In addition to reading to your child, have your child read to you if she is old enough.
Ask your child questions about her favorite books.
Why does she like some books and not others? Help her to develop her tastes as a reader and to be thoughtful about words, characters, settings, and plots.If your child has a favorite author or book series, you might also consider taking your child to see the author speak or sign books in order to inspire your child to write.
Make sure your child's schedule isn't packed with other activities.Reading and writing take a lot of time and mental energy, so you cannot expect your child to write a story in between soccer practice and piano lessons.
Let your child explore the world of words during times when she can relax, breathe, contemplate, and think freely. , Just as children should have a quiet place to study and do their other homework, the same is true for their writing assignments.
Ideally, this would be a desk in the child's room, away from the television.
If your child wishes to have privacy, be sure that you afford that to him: do not read over his shoulder unless he says you can.A child's writing area should include the following materials:
A notebook or journal Pens, pencils, and erasers A bookshelf to keep inspiration nearby An age-appropriate dictionary A thesaurus.
A thesaurus isn't necessary for very young children, but it can be helpful for older children who wish to expand their vocabularies. , If your child is to succeed as a creative writer, she must learn how to experiment, take risks, and think outside the box.
Don't discourage your child's creativity by harping on her spelling, grammar, or punctuation.
Feel free to gently correct these mechanical errors, but do not make your child feel like she has failed a homework assignment.Instead, praise her creativity and talk to her about her ideas., You might be your child's sole audience for her stories for quite a while.
Encourage her to love creativity and writing by demonstrating your keen interest in her ideas, thoughts, and stories.Ask her questions about her stories that show that you were paying attention.Compliment your child when she has done something well, such as come up with an interesting character, write a funny plot, or use a difficult word correctly in a sentence., Children love it when their own drawings, stories, and paintings are displayed for the whole family to see.
Keep your child motivated to write by putting their stories up on the fridge or placing them on a bulletin board.You can also work with your child to make a special "book" out of her stories, including homemade illustrations and decorations.
Stitch the book together with ribbon or yarn to create a special venue for her creativity., If your child is too young to write and spell out long stories, ask your child to come up with stories out loud.
Write down your child's thoughts and read them back to her.You can do this with very young children to help them learn to connect spoken and written words or with older children to help them focus. , Be a model reader and writer for your child.
Demonstrate to her that reading and writing are valuable and fun activities.
The more your child sees you reading and writing, the more likely she will be to continue the practice on her own., Sometimes the most valuable writing activities are those that build and maintain important personal connections.
Develop email or letter-writing correspondence with friends and family members and ask your child to assist you.If your child is excited to receive and send letters, your child might apply this excitement to other writing activities.
About the Author
Diana Russell
A passionate writer with expertise in home improvement topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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