As a writer and a parent, I’m often asked for tips on how to get kids to write more. If you’d like to encourage your kids to develop an interest in writing, here are 5 easy tips you can implement right away:
1. Read, read, read
And then read some more! Reading is the best way to spark your child’s imagination and the first step to get them to write. Storybooks, comics, cereal boxes; there’s a lot of great writing out there and you never know when inspiration may strike!
2. Get The Right Tools
Give your child a cool diary or journal and some funky stationery and encourage them to doodle, scribble, express their feelings in it. Write with them, explore thoughts, ideas, emotions together. You may be surprised at what they come up with!
3. Play With Prompts
Give them writing prompts to get them going such as ‘what would your perfect day be like?’ or ‘you have travelled into space, what do you see?’ There are plenty of fun games to do this too, such as story cubes or story telling board games that you can use.
4. Have Fun With Wordplay
Play games that build vocabulary skills. Explore fun new words together. Play with limericks and rhymes. If you come across an interesting word, share it with your child. If your child asks you about a new word, supply him/her with synonyms. Over a period of time they’ll build a rich vocabulary of words that they can then integrate into their writing.
5. Be Specific
When your child writes something, don’t offer generic praise but praise specific elements like an intriguing character or a beautiful setting. Ask questions about what happens next to spark more ideas. These specific inputs will help your child directionally and will also keep his or her interest going in their writing.
Encourage writing and have fun with it and remember, nothing’s off limits- from shopping lists to slaying imaginary dragons!