Writing is one of the most basic yet most important skills that your child learns at school. Unfortunately, with an increased reliance on technology, children don’t get as many opportunities to write by hand as they used to, which means that some kids find it harder to develop that skill.
Even though we can type instead of writing in most cases, it’s still important to learn how to write by hand because it’s good for your child’s development and writing with a pen and paper helps with information retention. If you feel that your child is struggling with their writing skills, there are a few things that you as a parent can do to help them along.
Read to Them
Regular reading is a very important part of learning to write. It helps to expand your child’s vocabulary and gives them a lot of different examples of how to use words, which they can then take over to their own writing. As they get older, you should encourage them to read on their own but it’s also important that you read to them from a very young age if you want them to develop good reading and writing skills.
Creative Writing Worksheets
Children often fail to engage with writing exercises that just have them spelling out words or copying out sentences because it’s not that fun and there is no room for creativity and play. That’s why creative writing worksheets are so much more effective. You can find some great worksheets for free on sites like Studentreasures Publishing, which are perfect for helping your child to get their creative juices flowing. They have some great prompts and brainstorming exercises to help them create stories. When you add that creative element, it’s so much easier to get your child to engage with writing.
Word Games
Playing games that incorporate writing skills is another simple way to make it more engaging for your child. Crosswords are a prime example of this, but there are also some great board games, like bananagrams, that are built around spelling and putting words together. Even simple games, like a scavenger hunt around the house, can be turned into word games if you have your child spell the word when they find the item. These are all simple ways to make writing practice fun instead of feeling like a chore.
Don’t Push Them Too Hard
When you are trying to help your child with their education, it’s important that you don’t push them too hard. They already have a lot of homework and this causes excess stress for your child, so piling too much on top of their existing workload is never a good idea. If you push too hard, they will find it much harder to concentrate on their writing practice and they won’t improve. It’s best to stick to simple, fun activities like word games and reading together instead of making them do lots of exercises.
Some children take longer than others to develop writing skills so there is no need to panic if they are a little behind. Just try out some of these ideas and you will notice a big difference.
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