Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Most children love stories, but not all of them are able to put their stories on paper. However, with the right amount of encouragement and support, they can be honed to become good writers. Writing ability is a lifelong skill that can be applied on different projects and endeavors. While our children usually learn how to write inside the classroom, parents can supplement their lessons by giving them basic writing tips to follow. These writing pointers provided below might be of great help.
1. Encourage kids to write at least one short composition per week.
A good exercise to help boost children’s writing skills is to give them a writing assignment each week. In this assignment, encourage them to apply what they have learned in school or other composition writing classes so that they can put those writing tips and techniques into practice.
You may also want to give a particular theme or topic each week so they have a focus on what to write about. While having an open theme gives kids more freedom, they may find it hard to choose a topic to focus on due to the myriad of ideas that they have encountered throughout the week.
2. Remind kids to be descriptive in their compositions.
There are many instances where children could not properly describe the story they are trying to tell. It can be frustrating for them not to be able to convey their message in the way they want to. This is usually a result of a lack of vocabulary. Kids with limited vocabulary are stuck in their descriptions. You can teach your child to look for the right words to use in their writing by expanding their vocabulary.
A simple and useful writing tip for young children is to use adjectives in their descriptions. Adjectives play a big part in English compositions because they help bring bring to life the subject they are describing. You can encourage your child to research for suitable adjectives that they can use in their writing.
3. Give kids a set of vocabulary to use.
Another basic writing pointer for children is to make use of a wide range of vocabulary. You can help by giving them a set of new words that they can look up in the dictionary and include in their narratives. Having a wide range of vocabulary opens doors for children to write creatively.
It is a good practice for kids to research for new words. When they know what words to use in their compositions, they can express their thoughts more effectively.
Get our free set of 300 Vocabulary Cards for your child to use in their English compositions.
4. Ask kids to describe their experiences.
Most children are vocal on the things they encounter in their daily lives, thus it is good to take advantage of this trait. You can do this by asking them to write about how they feel on a particular experience or subject, such as a film they have watched or an event they witnessed in school.
This is a good exercise because it allows kids to put their experiences into words. It also trains them to write stories that are both factual and creative.
There is no limit to the amount of writing tips available. The above 4 writing pointers are only a small fraction of them but they can serve as a starting point to get your child to write.
