“Why do I have to learn this?”
Ever heard this question? Explaining how and when your child will use a quadratic equation in real life might be tricky. But explaining how and when a child will use writing falls into the no-brainer category. Writing skills are helpful no matter what field of study your child will pursue. Even if a “field of study” is not in their future, writing is an essential life skill. Here’s why:
Practical Work Skill
No matter what your child does when she grows up, she will need good writing skills. The ability to be expressive or coherent in writing is a basic necessity for many careers. Also, writing helps to improve grammar, another essential for professional image and hiring desirability.
Learning to Write is Learning to Think.
Writing and thinking are intertwined processes. The more your son writes, the more he thinks! Writing forces organization of thoughts and encourages critical thinking. There could be no more important task for a developing mind than struggling through the process of putting thoughts in writing.
Creativity!
Creativity feeds writing and writing fosters creativity. Creativity is important to problem-solving. As Albert Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” Imagine where we would be without creative minds!
Reality check – Writing is not easy and teaching children to write well is downright TOUGH! So how can we teach our children to write without pulling out all our hair??!! Here are a few suggestions:
The Writing Process
Writing is not just putting words on paper. Teaching children steps to follow gives them confidence as it hones their skills.
- Brainstorm – This part of the process should the most fun! Encourage kids to come up with an idea they are excited about. Whether for a creative story or a subject of particular interest, have kids express their initial idea. It can be in the form of a picture or a graphic organizer or a list of words or a single sentence. Some kids find story starters helpful with this part of the process. Kids can even keep an “Idea Journal” where they jot down interesting things that could become writing at a later time.
- Write! The writing should not be criticized or even closely watched. Encourage kids to just get the ideas on paper. At this point, spelling and grammar do not matter, although for some kids that is frustrating. They want to spell everything perfectly! If that is case, provide them with proper spelling and whatever else they need to let the ideas flow onto the paper.
- Edit. Red pencil time!! This is where the hard work lies! According to their age and ability, have them look critically at their writing. This is the part where spelling and grammar matter! For older children, help them think about word choice. Introduce basics of style. Teach them to be relentless with themselves.
- Publish. Like the first step, this should have an element of fun to it. This is where their hard work pays off! After they have edited, have them rewrite their first draft. This can be written or typed. Then let them add “finishing touches.” These can be pictures, special fonts, etc. Give opportunity for others to appreciate their hard work.
This process takes time to develop. A step a day is best. It is a discipline, but being unrealistically rigid with the process will discourage most kids
Journal or Diary
Whether a diary for recording their daily activities or a journal for capturing the events and sights from a special trip, provide what kids need to write, write, write! Just as structured writing as mentioned above is important, non-structured writing is essential as well. You might even consider a family journal where everyone gets a turn to do the writing. Of course diaries and journals are not the place to correct spelling, grammar or style. The objective is simply to foster the joy of writing.
Read!
If you want your kids to be good writers, encourage them to read. The more they read, the more the language part of their brain is engaged and ready to express itself in words. And the better the literature that goes in, the better quality of writing that comes out!
Be a Role Model.
If your kids see you writing and/or valuing good writing, they are more likely to do so. Let them see you reading a book or hear you discussing a newspaper article. They will learn the most by your example.
Online Opportunities.
Whether emailing Grandma or a site devoted to publishing stories, there are endless opportunities online to write. Perhaps your older child could start a blog. Of course, teaching your child to be safe while online is a given.
Given time and effort, words can become your child’s best friends. And it’s bound to be a friendship that will serve them well their entire life!
http://www.localschooldirectory.com/k-12-articles/77
http://www.teachertime123.com/2011/11/the-importance-of-teaching-children-to-write-early-childhood-education-article/
“If you liked this post – Great!! Please ask before you re-post. Thanks!”
Email: JHoffman@GlobalStudentNetwork.com