Guest post by Samidha Raj
Motivating kids to write is important. Not only do they need to know how to write essays for school, they have to write to communicate in texts and emails as well as the occasional Thank You card to Grandma.
And did you know creative writing boosts kids’ academics, communication skills, and critical thinking? Kids get to imagine, express, inspire, and have fun while learning and practicing writing skills. They discover new words, pronunciations, and grammar.
Try these 7 super tips to motivate your kids to write:
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Make Time.
Kids are almost as busy as adults these days with school and sports, music, scouting . . . The list goes on. The thing is downtime is super important for information they learned during the day to go from short term to long term memory in the brain, and creative writing can give kids a huge brain boost.
Be sure to schedule at least an hour of downtime per day. Zoning, writing, pretending, running around outside are all healthy and NECESSARY for healthy brain development — and no, screen time doesn’t count.
Tell stories together while driving to activities or shopping at the grocery store, and encourage your kids to write for practical purposes. Your kids will likely begin to write during their downtime on their own!
Examples of practical writing for kids:
- Grocery lists
- Errands lists
- Journal writing (in the car, before or after dinner, or before bed)
- Interview family members and write family members’ stories.
- Draw a picture and make up a story about the picture.
You are the essential role model, so allow your kids to see you read and write too. That way, they will see writing as worthwhile, even important.
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Make writing fun.
Create games and activities out of writing. For example, set a timer and tell them to write as many nouns, or names of items, as they can see in the house. If you have more than one child, focus on WHAT they wrote rather than how many items.
For little ones, they can write the sounds they hear and tell you what their “words” say.
Give praise for naming specific items rather than just saying “Good job” when the timer goes off. The more specific your praise, the more you encourage repeated positive behavior.
Some kids like to do crossword puzzles, which is a great way for them to learn new words.
Or they can create their own crossword puzzle with the words they came up with in the list of items in the house (or whatever location you’ve chosen to play that game — the park, the store).
Note: If they want to create a puzzle with their words, be sure to correct the spelling beforehand, or their puzzle won’t work.
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Create a Dedicated Place & Materials.
Give your kids a personal location for reading, writing, and thinking. The feeling of ownership may motivate them to visit that place often. They can put special items in that space and incorporate their favorite colors.
People still love to receive handwritten letters in the mail, and lots of kids love the idea of sending what they’ve written to others. Invite your child to choose special stationary to write on for thank you notes and personal updates to friends and family members, such as grandparents.
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Use Images to Spur Imagination.
If you come across an interesting image, show it to your kids, talk about it, and suggest they write whatever comes to mind — a poem, essay, anything they like.
Ask them to share what they wrote. Reading their pieces allowed and a getting positive response from you is a huge motivator for them to write again.
Remember, give specific praise — I really liked the way you describe that tree sheltering the boy from the hot sun as he sleeps.
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Encourage Daily Journaling.
Writing about daily activities is an excellent way for kids to de-clutter thoughts, learn to express themselves, and gain perspective while getting regular writing practice.
Allowing your children to choose their “special book” is helpful in motivating your children to do journal writing. Some kids like writing in a fancy diary. Others prefer a simple spiral notebook they can cover with stickers.
Note: Be sure family members respect your children’s privacy, so your kids feel safe to write about personal thoughts and feelings.
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Correct Grammar Separately.
Especially if your child has written something for fun, avoid correcting grammar unless your child asks you to do so. If you offer to correct grammar because your child is turning in a piece of writing to someone for a purpose, be gentle.
Correcting kids less and giving more sincere, specific compliments will increase confidence and the desire to write.
In any case, let their imagination run free on paper first. Afterwards, you can point out where the periods go and help them with spelling.
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Show Appreciation & Interest.
Remember to give your children specific praise to boost confidence and give them motivation to continue writing rather than saying “well done” or “good job” after reading their creations.
Examples:
“Ha! I cracked me up when he sat on the rock and realized he sat on a worm.”
“Ah, that poor little girl. When you described how she felt when she realized her mom was gone, I got a little teary.”
“I love all the colors in that bunch of balloons the little kid is holding!”
Your kids will feel their writing is important when you take an interest and express appreciation for their ideas.
Thank you so much for your insightful post, Samidha!
Best wishes, parents! Happy writing!
Trish Wilkinson
Author Bio:
Samidha Raj works for Planet Spark, a platform that provides online classes to K-8 learners on “New Age Skills”— English Communication, Public Speaking, Grammar, Creative Writing, Debating, etc. She is passionate about empowering youth and educating parents. In her free time, you can find her watching documentaries or animated movies and organizing game nights (board games are her thing).
