The writing struggle. It is real. Yet it is not impossible to deal with. I remember when my twelve year old was younger. He literally cried every single time he had to write a creative writing assignment. He was afraid he would spell words wrong. He didn’t quite understand grammar or sentence structure so he would sit there, pen in hand, terrified. At that point I knew I had to take a different approach with writing. So I did. I no longer “graded” his work, instead I would let those creative juices flow and not worry about spelling, grammar or punctuation. Then, when he was older (around 10 or 11) I began to “assign” him writing projects that were graded, but still, most of his daily writing goes ungraded. I must say too, that he truly has flourished as a writer and enjoys writing stories for the Rainbow Resource Center Summer Writing Contest. He has competed in the contest the past two years and he even asks me to look around the Internet for other story contests to enter throughout the year.
Why the dramatic change? I truly believe it is because he know has a new sense of confidence when it comes to writing, rather than fear of failure. Does your child struggle as mine once did? If so, consider “sneaking in” some non-threatening writing methods into your routine. Below is a list of some fun, yet effective ways you can encourage your child in their writing. Once you have done several of these over a period of a few months to a year, then I would encourage introducing longer creative writing assignments.
Sneaky Writing Ideas
Write Thank You Cards To Friends/Relatives For Birthday Gifts
Copy A Recipe From Pinterest That Interests You
Keep A Journal On Your Next Vacation
Make Up A Puppet Show To Perform For The Family. Write Down The Lines
Write “Thinking Of You” Cards To Widows In Your Church/Neighborhood
Create A Treasure Map Complete With Written Directions
Find Your Favorite Picture Book. Rewrite The Ending.
Write A Poem About Your Dad
Make An Acrostic Poem Using Your Name
Make Up Jump Rope Rhymes
Do You Have Any Creative Writing Idea Suggestions?
