Writing is one of the most important skills that children need to learn. As well as being an essential skill that they will require in their adult life, it is also a powerful tool for expression. Yet, for many children, writing is a challenging and boring chore. Here are five ways in which you can help inspire your children to write and in so doing, help them to develop a love and enjoyment of writing.
Why Writing Matters
Writing is an important life skill. It’s an important form of communication and one which is required for all subjects. If a child is able to become a confident writer, then they will also be able to improve their school performance and achieve better results.
However, writing is also a fantastic way to help children to develop their imagination, to support your child’s emotional growth and to nurture their critical thinking skills. Writing can be extremely creative and is a wonderful way for children to learn how to express themselves, their feelings, their ideas and thoughts.
What You Can Do To Encourage Your Child To Write
As parents, there are a number of things that you can do to help promote and encourage your child to write.
1. Create A Writing Area
Involve your child in creating a writing area. Ask them what tools they prefer to write with and what they prefer to write on. Involving your child will enable them to have a greater sense of ownership over the space and be more likely to want to spend time there.
“Ensure that the writing area is equipped with all the resources they might need for writing. You can also provide your child with chalks and a chalkboard or magnetic letters or flashcards, especially if they are quite young,” says Mary Booth, an educator at State Of Writing and Dissertation writing service.
2. Regularly Share New Language With Them
Children learn new vocabulary incredibly quickly, so the more vocabulary you can expose them to, the better. Simply point out new words/language during the course of daily life. For instance, new words you come across in magazines, books, on the internet, in films, and in general conversation. Teaching them new words linked to their specific interests can be particularly effective and meaningful for a child. You could even create a word jar and challenge your child to write something using one of the words from the jar.
3. Read Together
Reading is one of the most powerful activities parents can do with their children. Not only is it a great bonding experience, but it also helps children to learn about grammar and syntax, acquire new vocabulary and learn the basic structure of stories and storytelling. Make sure that you read a range of books and spend time reading aloud with your child.
4. Make Time For Writing
Writing takes time. From thinking of an idea, to planning, and finally beginning to write, it can be a slow process. Make sure that you create space in your schedule for writing.
“Spend some time helping your child to come up with ideas and talking them through. With younger children, you can ask them to dictate a story for you to write. Encourage your child to keep a journal and make sure that you also let them see you writing, whatever form that may take,” suggests William Gee, a writer at LiaHelp and Essay Help.
5. Share Their Writing
Sharing and praising your child’s writing is a great way to boost their confidence and encourage them to continue writing. Take time to really engage with your child’s writing and give them specific praise. You can also ask them to read it aloud or even send a copy of their writing to family and friends, if they are comfortable with that. Consider displaying their writing, for instance, on the family noticeboard or by turning it into a book they can read again and again.
Conclusion
Inspiring your child to write doesn’t need to be time-consuming or arduous. The key is to make time and space for them to freely explore writing. Encourage your child to view writing not as a chore, but rather as a fun and enjoyable activity. Ensure that you praise and share their writing and you will help them to become confident writers.
Bio
Katherine Rundell is an education writer at Assignment Help and Boomessays, where she regularly writes about education, including ways to improve teaching writing and grammar skills. She is also a proofreader at Research Paper Help. When not writing, Katherine enjoys spending time reading and staying up to date with the latest trends in education and children’s literature.
