There are many resources both online and in print for creative writing instruction. If you’ve homeschooled for awhile, you know this subject can get a little monotonous. A method that I’ve recently become acquainted with has been a real hit with my concrete, non-imaginative writers. The best thing for me is that I was able to implement it without huge expense mentally or financially!
You’ll need access to the internet. To start, pull up a short animated clip of your choosing. Turn the sound off and play the clip it in 10-15 second increments. After hitting pause, allow your children’s own creative minds to interpret what they see as they write a rough draft. At this point, it doesn’t have to be perfect. This is their rough draft! And, if your children are very young, you can transcribe the story for them. Continue playing the clip in this way. Once they are finished with the viewing and writing, your child can go back and edit for spelling, grammar, and word flow. You can encourage them to jazz it up with alliterations, adjectives, or their own alternative endings. This is a huge help for the reluctant writer as they are not spending hours trying to figure out a subject for their story. You’re helping them by providing a visual basis to combine with their own unique interpretation. Then, they can move into the editing phase.
Another great way to combine subjects is to choose an animal based show, such as National Geographic, for their viewing material. Follow the above method. Once they get down their rough copy, they can go back and put in more facts as needed. This can also help the reluctant writer with the flow of information for a more informative essay.
Creative writing doesn’t have to be tedious or boring. By utilizing today’s technology it can lift a burden from mom’s shoulders while helping to inspire a reluctant writer with creativity.
