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How to Delevop Writing Skills in a Child

Grab these easy steps to improve your children’s writing skills in just a few minutes a day. You’ll see an improvement in just a few weeks.

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One of the main things teachers focus on these days is writing, since it’s critical to success whatever the subject.  There are a few things you can do at home to help your child become a more effective writer.

Creative Writing

Tools to Improve Kids Writing

Fun Notebook– I recommend getting a fun notebook to write all their stories in so they can go back and read them. This one is really cool because it’s a fidget notebook. The prices vary.

Pencil Sharpner– Who wants to write with dull pencils. I know I dont, so make sure you have shap pencils.

Good Pencils– I love this brand and normally buy them every year for back-to-school. I always find good deals online when doing my back-to-school supply shopping.

3 Easy Steps to Help Improve your Children’s Writing Skills

Step 1

The first thing you can do is to give them a writing prompt.  Kids will have a hard time writing if you just tell them to sit down and write.  A writing prompt will help get their creative juices flowing.  The following are examples of writing prompts I’ve used in the past.

  • If you could have any job in the world, what would be a typical day in your life?  
  • You wake up one day and you’re famous, everyone knows you!  Why would you be famous and what happened that day.  
  • You wake up and you are old enough to drive.  Where would you go and what would you do?


Sometimes younger children (Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd graders) may have a hard time with writing prompts if they are having to answer a question. If you see this, then start with asking to write about things that have happened.

  • Describe what you did on your favorite day of the summer.
  • Tell me how to make a pizza.
  • What are the steps you take when you get ready for bed.

Step 2

The second thing you can teach them are transition words.  Kids get stuck because they can’t figure out how to move on to a different part of the story.  Some of these words include:  first, second, then, next, after a while, last, and soon.  These will help then move along and continue to tell their story.

Step 3

Last, add details, lots of details.  Teach your child to be descriptive and use adjectives as they write.  Try giving them examples at first.  If they are writing about a horse, ask them, “Is the horse fast, tall, smelly, strong?”  If they are writing about breakfast, as them, “Is it hot, delicious, cold?”

It takes practice to become a better writer.  Repetition is the key to their ultimate success and it’s really important to provide a constant flow of encouragement to keep them from becoming frustrated and, ultimately, discouraged.  This is great practice for summer break and it only takes 20 minutes a day.

Jill

Sunday 12th of April 2015

These are great tips for creative writing! Thank you for stopping by the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop this week. We hope to see you drop by our neck of the woods next week!

Celi

Monday 30th of March 2015

These are great! My daughter loves writing and hopes to be a writer one day. Thanks for sharing

Mary Hill

Thursday 26th of March 2015

This would make a great post for Literacy Musing Mondays. Here is this week's link. I hope you will link up all your creative writing and learning idea posts. ;)

http://www.maryanderingcreatively.com/literacy-musing-mondays-10/

Holly

Thursday 26th of March 2015

Thanks! I will.

Erica

Tuesday 17th of March 2015

These are really great tips Holly! I've been homeschooling my 10 year old for the past 2 years and these are just the things that he needed when writing descriptively. Thanks so much!